Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has accused NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte of attempting to disrupt negotiations with Ukraine and urged him to refrain from escalating military tensions. Szijjártó's statements on this matter indicate a rise in tension and mutual accusations within European politics.
Redaksiya reports that Szijjártó wrote on his Facebook page that if anyone doubted that everything was in order in Brussels, they were now completely convinced after the NATO Secretary General's speech in Berlin. Szijjártó stated that Rutte's speech struck a blow to peace negotiations regarding Ukraine. Emphasizing that Hungary, as a NATO member, does not accept the Secretary General's words, Szijjártó noted that the security of European countries is not guaranteed by Ukraine and NATO itself. He described provocative statements as irresponsible and dangerous, urging Mark Rutte to refrain from escalating military tensions.
According to EADaily, Rutte, speaking at a forum in Germany on December 11, made hostile remarks against Russia, claiming that Russia had "brought war back to Europe." Rutte called on NATO countries to allocate more funds to defense, stating that Ukraine's security is important for the alliance's security. At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia has no aggressive plans against NATO members and European Union countries. Lavrov noted that they are ready to enshrine the relevant guarantees in a written, legal document, of course, on a collective, mutual basis. He emphasized that "military euphoria" prevails in Europe, reiterating that Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is ready to respond "even now" if European countries decide to fight Russia. Earlier, Putin emphasized that Russia is ready to enshrine in any form that it has no intention of attacking European countries. The Russian leader noted that politicians who openly state the opposite are "not themselves" or are "scammers," and these statements are "complete nonsense" and "outright lies."