Hungary won’t have to send military aid to Ukraine in Nato carve-out deal

Jens Stoltenberg approves Hungarian PM’s demands to make Mission for Ukraine scheme voluntary

Hungary will not have to contribute money or military personnel to support Ukraine under a Nato carve-out deal negotiated with the bloc.
The concession was granted to Budapest to ensure smooth passage for the Western alliance’s planned “Mission for Ukraine”, which will raise and co-ordinate an estimated €40 billion in annual military support for Kyiv.
In exchange Hungary will not veto any Nato plans to support Ukraine, despite Budapest’s harsh criticism of the war and soft stance on Vladimir Putin.
The Mission for Ukraine scheme will hand Nato control of the US-led Ramstein group of more than 50 countries and allow the military alliance to manage deliveries of lethal aid to Ukraine for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Hungary has raised objections to the mission, arguing it could drag Nato into a direct conflict with Russia.
Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, has refused to supply arms to Ukraine, and recently suggested he would “redefine” Budapest’s position in the alliance to prevent any participation in operations “outside Nato territory”.
The nationalist leader has been repeatedly accused of cosying up to Putin throughout the war by delaying sanctions, refusing to provide military support to Ukraine and objecting to its accession to the EU.
But Mr Orban assured Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary-general, that he wouldn’t stand in the way of the alliance’s plans to support Ukraine, as long as they were “voluntary”.
“Hungary has made it clear she does not intend to block decisions in Nato that might be different from our, we believe rational, analysis,” the Hungarian said in a joint news conference in Budapest.
“I have asked the secretary-general to make this clear that any out-of-area military operation can be voluntary. Therefore, Hungary has been granted the guarantees that she requires.”
Deals inside Nato require the backing of all 32 members before they can be fully signed off, often leading to months of tricky negotiations.
But with Mr Stoltenberg stepping down from his role in October, he is determined to reach an agreement before the Nato leaders’ summit.
To prevent Hungary from blocking, the top official approved demands to make the scheme voluntary.
“At the summit I expect allies to agree on a leading role for Nato in coordinating and providing security assistance and training for Ukraine,” Mr Stoltenberg told the news conference.
“I also expect that allies will agree to a long-term financial pledge… prime minister Orban has made it clear that Hungary will participate in these Nato efforts, and I accept his decision.
“I’m glad the prime minister and I have agreed the modalities for Hungary’s non-participation for support to Ukraine. No Hungarian personnel will take part in these activities and no Hungarian funds will be used to support them.”
He recently urged member states to commit to providing Ukraine at least €40 billion a year in military aid to ensure long-term support for the war-torn country against Russian aggression.
The pledge is part of a strategy known internally as the “three Ms” – money, mission and membership.
The money will help sustain Ukraine’s war efforts for at least two more years, with future negotiations expected to tweak the figure depending on the state of the conflict.
Contributions from Nato’s 31 participating members will likely be determined by a percentage of Gross Domestic Products – in line with alliance defence spending goals – to ensure the burden of supporting Kyiv is shared equally, sources said.
This particular element of the package has been dubbed as “Trump proofing” ahead of November’s US presidential elections because the expected Republican candidate has previously railed against European nations not paying their way.
The envisaged model would still see the US foot the bill for over half of future aid to Ukraine because of the size of the country’s economy compared to its European allies.
The mission will see Nato’s Supreme allied commander, a US general, take over Ramstein – also known as the Ukraine Defence Contact Group – as well as a separate training scheme run by the UK.
It will leave Nato commanders making decisions on arming Ukraine and drilling its troops while the conflict is still raging as well as developing a post-war force capable of deterring Russian aggression and preparing Kyiv to join the alliance.
However, Nato will not take over any role in assisting Ukraine’s armed forces with targeting advice or battle plans from the US because this could trigger escalation from Moscow.
“There are certain elements that will stay where they are,” a source said.
The Ukrainian bid to join Nato will not be progressed from a previous promise that the country would one day become a member at the Washington summit, as The Telegraph previously reported.
But Kyiv will be offered language in a summit communique that suggests promises of future finance and weapons deliveries will act as a “bridge” or stop-gap until the alliance is ready to extend a full invitation.