NATO Chief discusses Ukraine with Hungarian PM Viktor Orban post Russia visit

After Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that he had a conversation with the Hungarian Prime Minister regarding the situation of Ukraine, due to the border situation between Russia and Ukraine.

Stoltenberg took to Twitter and stated that was great to chat with Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary about the crisis caused by Russia's military buildup in and around Ukraine. He further stated that NATO brings together North America and Europe. He also said that the need for discussion, as well as robust deterrence and defence, is something that all of their Allies agree on.

A purely Hungarian initiative

Nina Bachkatov, who is a political science professor at the University of Liege in Belgium, stated that the fact that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited President Vladimir Putin in Moscow is a purely Hungarian initiative, by an EU leader, who is also a member of NATO, who leads an intelligent game for the time being and that he is not in Moscow to negotiate anything on behalf of Europe.

She also noticed a lack of agreement among the European Union and NATO on how to deal with the crisis, with Croatia and Slovenia standing on the fence and Hungary acting alone, according to ANI. Bachkatov further said that there is no such thing as a miracle worker who can tackle the complicated difficulties at hand and only a policy of tiny measures will yield results. She also said that even the American press, who has portrayed Russia as the arch-villain in this situation, is beginning to question what the Ukrainian army has done with the billions of dollars in supplies and financial aid.

Sanctions would be targeted at Russian gas projects

As the border condition between Russia and Ukraine has deteriorated, tensions between Russia and Europe have also risen in recent months. The EU has threatened Russia with significant economic sanctions against Russia if Ukraine is attacked, a claim Moscow has categorically refuted. The UK has also stated that if Russia acts aggressive, the UK would impose sanctions on them, which will be felt by the Russian people. Brussels suggests that the sanctions would be targeted at Russian gas projects in particular, according to ANI.

(Inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP)