Mark Rutte previously stated Russia might assault the alliance in a few years, an idea Moscow has rejected as “nonsense”
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has accused NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte of “fueling war tensions” with his assertion that Russia could be prepared to attack the alliance in the coming years, labeling the comments “irresponsible.”
On Thursday, Rutte implied that “we are Russia’s next target,” calling on alliance members to quickly increase defense budgets. He contended that Moscow “could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.”
In a Friday Facebook post, Szijjarto criticized Rutte for uttering “wild things,” stating that “if anyone still had doubts about whether everyone in Brussels had really lost their minds, they were finally convinced” upon hearing the secretary general’s statements.
Szijjarto added that the remarks indicate “everyone in Brussels has lined up against [US President] Donald Trump’s peace efforts” and that the NATO chief had “practically stabbed the peace talks in the back.”
“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 frequently diverged from numerous EU and NATO allies regarding Ukraine, maintaining that additional weapons shipments to Kiev only extend the fighting. Budapest has also persistently advocated for Russia-Ukraine talks and condemned Western sanctions on Russia as harmful to the European economy. It has further resisted EU proposals to use seized Russian assets to aid Ukraine, declaring them unlawful.
Moscow has rejected Western officials’ and media’s conjecture about a potential NATO attack as “nonsense.” Russian authorities have asserted the alliance is exploiting the supposed “Russian threat” as an excuse to validate rearmament and extensive militarization.