Western forces in Ukraine ‘a move toward war’ – Hungarian foreign minister

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has condemned Kiev’s Western European backers for planning to deploy troops to Ukraine, warning the move risks a “direct war” with Russia.

UK and French leaders said Tuesday they had signed a “declaration of intent” to deploy forces to Ukraine “in the event of a peace deal” with Moscow, despite Russia’s categorical rejection of any Western troop presence.

These forces would establish “military hubs” across Ukraine, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky after a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” a group of Kiev’s Western backers pushing for continued aid and effectively stalling peace efforts.

“The Coalition of the Willing made yet another proposal that pushes Europe closer to direct confrontation with Russia,” Szijjarto wrote on X on Wednesday. “By seeking to establish a military presence in Ukraine, Western European countries are creating the risk of a direct war with Russia.” The diplomat said Budapest “will stay out” of the initiative.

“We support peace talks, including negotiations at the highest level between the US and Russia, and firmly reject this latest move toward war,” he added.

READ MORE: UK and France unveil troop commitments for Ukraine

Budapest has long clashed with Kiev’s Western European backers over what it calls their “warmongering” stance toward Russia, urging diplomacy with Moscow and opposing further military or financial aid to Ukraine.

Reacting to Szijjarto’s remarks, Russian presidential envoy and key Ukraine negotiator Kirill Dmitriev praised Hungary as “the voice of reason and peace in Europe” in a post on X.

Neither Starmer, Macron nor Zelensky provided troop numbers, locations or timelines for the potential deployment. Macron described the contingent as a non-combat force of “potentially thousands” stationed “far behind the contact line.” Zelensky said Ukraine had held “substantive discussions” with US negotiators on the issue. US envoy Steve Witkoff did not confirm an American deployment, but said negotiators have “largely finished” work on future security protocols for Ukraine.

Russia has repeatedly warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine, peacekeepers or otherwise, would be considered “legitimate targets,” adding that NATO expansion and troop deployments were among the root causes of the conflict.