Hungarian Defense Chief Says Deployment of Additional NATO Forces in Country Inexpedient

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th January, 2022) Hungary possesses sufficient national defense forces, so deployment of additional NATO units in the country is inexpedient, Hungarian Chief of Defense Tibor Benko said on Saturday.

During an interview at the Hungarian radio station InfoRadio, Benko said that the United States and NATO are in talks with all the countries on the eastern border of the alliance and neighboring Russia or Ukraine, when asked if NATO holds negotiations with Budapest regarding deployment of its units in Hungary.

"At the same time, our position is that, in accordance with the Primary directive of the Defense and Force Development Program, Hungary has already created the national forces, formed the national potential that in the current situation, there is no need to rely on foreign armed forces and units.

We are moving further along this path, so now, in the current situation, we do not consider it expedient and do not demand that additional NATO forces be stationed here," Benko told the radio.

The official also added that Hungary supported Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO for a long time.

"But then, Ukraine spoke against Hungarians living in Transcarpathia, and behaved unacceptably for the alliance. After that, the government has adopted the position that Ukraine is not ready to join yet and it does not meet the expectations of NATO. Of course, last time I personally told Ukraine's defense minister that we can talk about this issue again if the Transcarpathian Hungarians are granted the same rights that we provide to Ukrainian-speaking people living in Hungary," Benko said.