NATO countries fear for the fate of secret data and confidential discussions conducted among alliance members due to Hungary's pro-russian policy.
This is stated in the material of Politico.
According to the publication, high-ranking diplomats from a number of NATO countries have repeatedly stated on condition of anonymity that Hungarian officials are not excluded from the exchange of intelligence or discussions, despite the country's openly pro-russian policy.
According to NATO rules, each member country of the alliance has full access to all documents, including those that contain classified information.
The publication writes that this led to a lack of trust in Hungary on the part of NATO members.
Hungary's sympathy for russia may at some point become a serious problem in terms of the exchange of information between members of the alliance, including secret information.
"At a certain point, if Hungary sympathizes with russia's views or with russia's approach to some critical crises in and around Europe, the ability to share information will become a problem. I don't think we've not reached that point yet," said the aide to the former general NATO Secretary, Camille Grand.
According to an unnamed NATO diplomat, Hungary's recent actions and rhetoric have caused "serious concerns" on the part of other members of the alliance.
Another unnamed official said Hungary has an ongoing role in supporting NATO's activities, while acknowledging Budapest's political disagreement with mainstream views in the alliance.
The publication notes that the split between Hungary and NATO members intensified last Wednesday, October 30, when Budapest rejected an invitation to participate in a Budapest meeting of all ambassadors and military advisers from NATO countries. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss Hungary's policy to promote relations with russia and China.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in July 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radosław Sikorski, stated that the position of Hungary irritates the members of the European Union.
It will be recalled that earlier, before this, Warsaw called on Budapest to leave the European Union and NATO because of the country's close ties with russia.
We also wrote that the European Union complained about the actions of Hungary, which earlier this year simplified entry for citizens of the russian federation and Belarus.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.