Conflicts

NATO members' frustration has reached new heights as Hungary continues to bypass important meetings with the military alliance.

On Wednesday, Hungarian officials chose not to attend a session that gathered NATO ambassadors and military advisors stationed in Hungary.

"We appreciated the opportunity to discuss Hungary’s new policy with our allies. The fact that a discussion about an ally’s ‘neutrality’ policy was necessary speaks for itself," the U.S. ambassador in Budapest, David Pressman, said in a statement.

While no Hungarian representative was present, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó is set to participate in a conference in Belarus on Thursday, joining his Russian and Syrian counterparts.

Although Hungary has been a NATO member for 25 years, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has expressed his desire to shift away from Western alignment, pursuing a path of economic neutrality instead.

"We must preserve our relations eastward and westward," he said during a radio interview last month.

Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, Hungary has voiced skepticism about Western sanctions against Russia and recently struck a deal to increase its gas imports from Moscow.

(QG - Source : Politico / Picture: ©  Pixabay)