Breaking from other NATO members, Hungary will not allow the transit of weapons bound for Ukraine through its territory, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday.
Szijjarto warned weapons deliveries bound for Ukraine could be targeted by Russia. “The reason for making this decision is that such deliveries might become targets of hostile military action,” he said.
Szijjarto said Hungary, which shares a small border with Ukraine, made the decision on the basis of national security and for the safety of people living in Transcarpathia, a region of western Ukraine that is home to Hungarian-speaking communities.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to “stay out” of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and doesn’t plan on sending weapons to the Ukrainians.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his assault on Ukraine, the US and its NATO allies have rushed to promise Ukraine more weapons, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles. Germany has also joined its allies in pledging arms to Ukraine, breaking from its new government’s policy of not sending weapons to conflict zones.
On Sunday, the EU announced a plan to give Ukraine over $500 million worth of arms to Ukraine. For the first time ever, the EU is financing the purchase of arms for another country. Despite its pledge not to send weapons to Ukraine, Hungary has signed off on the EU financing Ukrainian arms, according to Politico.
The EU also announced that European countries would be giving Ukraine fighter jets. A Ukrainian official told Politico on Monday that Ukrainian pilots have arrived in Poland to pick up fighter jets that are expected to be donated. It’s not clear at this point which countries are giving Ukraine the warplanes, but they are expected to receive older Russian-made planes.
The jet fighter thing is utterly absurd. Some EU moron said the other day that those jets “could be flying in Ukrainian skies in one hour!”
How the hell do you get a jet out of mothballs, get the pilot, set up the ground support, and design an operational mission in an hour?
This is nonsense for public consumption. It’s intended to show the ignorant public that NATO is “doing something” to “support Ukraine” – when it reality it is doing absolutely nothing that will alter the eventual outcome of the Russian operation – total defeat of Ukraine.
The other reason this is being tried is that NATO wants to tempt Russia into conducting a military strike on the Polish airfields hosting these planes and the Ukrainian planes that fled into Poland on the first night of the invasion. Then Poland can scream “Article 5” and get NATO involved in the war.
Obviously Russia is not going to fall for that trap. They don’t have to. They have more than enough aircraft to shoot down a bunch of Soviet Era stuff.
Those jets will be flown by NATO pilots and coordinated by NATO command. Its all part of the war party’s strategy of fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian.
I wouldn’t be surprised. Although keep in mind these are Soviet Era jets – how many NATO pilots know how to fly them effectively? In any event, they go into Ukraine, they get shot down. NATO can’t very well admit they’re using NATO pilots, either.
Who in the 500 million (?) EU population has been asked if this is wanted? I certainly have not. The top brass of the EU have no idea what the people want, but have stirred them up with US∕NATO lies and fear. Calm and cooperation are needed, not arms trundled in by anyone, for anything, just to defy Russia.
Great idea, further arming a nation in which the result could generate nuclear war.
Of course, Putin is “only bluffing”.
Again, please read Caitlin Johnstone on Substack: Is Ukraine worth nuclear war?
Great idea, further arming a nation in which the result could generate nuclear war.
Of course, Putin is “only bluffing”.
Again, please read Caitlin Johnstone on Substack: Is Ukraine worth nuclear war?
This is not about just weapons transit. It is about whether refugee camps will be turned into bases for an insurgency, as was done in Turkey and Jordan to attack Assad’s Syria.
Hungary is saying it will take the refugees, but not the war camps of the CIA or US Special Forces.
Smart move.