Hungary Doesn't Want NATO To Be An Anti China Block

NATO Summit in Washington DC, US/PHOTO via Instagram @peter_szijjarto

JAKARTA - Hungary does not want NATO to become an anti-Chinese bloc, and will not support this, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

In his comments on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, he said Ukraine's entry into the military alliance would weaken unity in the group.

The KTT communicative draft describes China as a major supporter of Russia's war efforts in Ukraine, and says Beijing continues to pose systemic challenges to Europe and security. China says the communique is biased and "spreads disputes".

"NATO is a defense alliance... we can't set it up an anti-Chingkok block," Szijjarto told Hungarian state television in response to a question about efforts to build a NATO alliance in the Indo-Pacific.

China is an important trading and investment partner for Hungary. Other EU member states seek to reduce dependence on Beijing.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, July 8, to discuss potential Ukrainian peace agreements following visits to Kyiv and Moscow.

His talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin angered several EU leaders as the bloc tried to avoid high-level contact with Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

At the NATO summit, leaders have pledged their support for Ukraine, and the communique draft reaffirms support for Ukraine on its way to NATO membership.

Ukraine's acknowledgment will not strengthen but weaken the unity alliance, as there is a very different point of view regarding their membership, said Szijjarto.

"Ukraine membership in NATO will not strengthen the alliance's defense character because, in practice, it will create an open risk of conflict between Russia and NATO," he added.