Szijjártó — who had already said Hungary was “not willing to send either weapons or soldiers to Ukraine” — told TASS that “words matter.”
“When it comes to the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine on behalf of some NATO member states, it’s really dangerous, because we don’t want to face a threat,” he said.
Budapest has stuck more closely with Moscow than any other European Union or NATO member, with Hungary repeatedly opposing sending more money and weapons to Kyiv.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán maintained contact with Russia President Vladimir Putin after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago — even congratulating Putin on winning last month’s elections, which were widely viewed as rigged by most Western democracies.
Szijjártó said Hungary keeps its channels of communications with Russia open, adding that Putin and Orbán can “hold talks at any time” if “there is a need to interact with each other.”