Rutte suggested that Orban not benefit from Ukraine's support to get a top position at NATO, reports the FT

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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has promised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban the possibility of withdrawing from NATO activities in favor of Ukraine if he is appointed secretary general, the Financial Times reported on June 18, citing his undisclosed sources.

This commitment aimed to remove Budapest’s opposition to Rutte’s candidacy, writes the FT. Twenty-nine NATO members supported Rutte Jens Stoltenbergwhile Hungary, Slovakia and Romania have long been the last holdouts.

Hungary also constantly hindered military assistance to Kyiv and sanctions against Russia, earning it the label of most pro-Kremlin country within NATO.

Rutte and Orban reportedly met on the sidelines of a European leaders’ dinner in Brussels on June 17. A day later, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini publicly supported Rutte’s candidacy, and Dutch media reported that Hungary had ended its the opposition tooalthough the motivations behind this decision are unclear.

The Dutch Prime Minister promised his Hungarian counterpart that Budapest would not have to participate in NATO activities in support of Ukraine or those taking place outside the alliance’s territory, the Prime Minister said Dutch. FT wrote.

“Prime Minister Rutte will confirm in writing to Prime Minister Orban what they discussed. It was a good and open conversation, and both men agreed to focus on the future,” Rutte’s spokesperson told the media, while a Hungarian government spokesperson declined to comment.

Stoltenberg visited Hungary last week for talks with Orban, as many NATO members fear the central European country could derail future plans to support Kiev.

The Hungarian prime minister told Stoltenberg that Budapest would not participate in any of these initiatives but would not block them either, the secretary general said.

Orban said in an interview in late May that Budapest was looking for ways to withdraw from any action outside alliance territory, allegedly fearing escalation with Russia.