Hungarian FM warns Ukrainian NATO membership could escalate war

Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, announced on Wednesday that a NATO meeting in Brussels had reached “no consensus” on Ukraine’s potential accession to the alliance, a step that Kyiv considers critical to ending Russia’s invasion.

Szijjártó, a critic of Ukraine and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, warned that welcoming Ukraine into NATO “would be tantamount to initiating World War III”. 

“We believe that Ukraine would not be able to add to European security in its present situation, but rather, as a country at war, inviting Ukraine into NATO we would risk the threat of war, namely, the threat of a NATO-Russian war,” Szijjártó said at a press conference. 

The meeting of NATO foreign ministers coincides with Russian advances in Ukraine, with Western nations ramping up military aid to strengthen Ukrainian forces’ position before Donald Trump is inaugurated as US president in January. 

Trump has criticised the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine and suggested he could end the war within 24 hours, hinting that he might pressure Ukraine to cede territory currently occupied by Russia. 

While NATO leaders have affirmed that Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to membership, Secretary-General Mark Rutte avoided questions regarding Ukraine’s potential membership, focusing instead on strengthening Ukraine’s position in future peace negotiations with Russia through continued arms shipments. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed that extending NATO membership to territory currently under Kyiv’s control could help end “the hot stage” of the nearly three-year war.

However, Szijjártó expressed doubt that increased Western support could shift the conflict in Ukraine’s favour.

“In spite of the arms shipments pouring there, Ukraine’s situation on the battlefield gets worse every day,” Szijjártó said.

“If someone talks about the improvement of the situation of the Ukrainians as an easily achievable goal on the battlefield, they do nothing but deceive themselves and the Ukrainians as well.”

Consensus among all 32 NATO members is required to admit new members, meaning Hungary’s objections could prove decisive to Ukraine’s future accession.