If NATO had held talks with Russia on a draft treaty on security guarantees in 2021, the current situation might not have happened. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told the RIA Novosti news agency.
According to Peter Szijjártó, he remembers well the situation with the treaty. Unfortunately, it was not possible to hold a serious discussion of the document at that time, although such a discussion was necessary, the diplomat emphasised.
“Perhaps what I am saying now does not make sense, but I would like these dialogues to take place. Because if they had taken place, we might not be in the current situation,” Szijjártó noted.
In December 2021, Russia sent the US and NATO proposals on security guarantees. Moscow demanded legal guarantees from the West excluding NATO’s eastward expansion, the admission of former Soviet republics, including Ukraine, into the bloc, as well as the deployment of shock offensive weapons on the borders.
Several rounds of talks were subsequently held between Russia and the United States, as well as NATO and OSCE countries, but consensus on key issues could not be reached. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that NATO had “deceived” Russia, “just brazenly deceived.” In February 2022, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine. One of the reasons, according to Putin, was the threat of Ukraine joining NATO.
We will remind, earlier Peter Szijjártó said that Hungary was under pressure to stop energy co-operation with Russia.
