Orban Casts Doubt on Long-Term Ukraine NATO Membership

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Facts

  • Following NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg saying Friday that 'all Nato [sic] allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a Nato member,' Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has cast doubt on Ukraine's aspirations, tweeting 'What?!' in response.1
  • Stoltenberg made his first wartime visit to Ukraine Thursday, during which he added that 'Ukraine’s rightful place is in the Euro-Atlantic family.' Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy accepted NATO’s invitation to a July summit in Lithuania but said what Ukraine needed most was NATO membership.2
  • Orban has repeatedly said Hungary will not support Ukraine’s applications to either NATO or the EU. Hungary has also refused to provide military aid to Kyiv or allow such shipments to travel through its territory in support of Ukraine.3
  • Finland became the 31st NATO member earlier this month. Meanwhile, Sweden's accession remains stalled by Turkey and Hungary but is expected.4
  • As Stoltenberg refrained from providing a clear timeframe for Ukraine's membership, Zelenskyy urged him to 'overcome the reluctance' of some NATO members to supply long-range rockets and modern fighter jets to his country.1

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Al Jazeera, 3RT and 4Business Insider.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Newsweek. Despite the military alliance's slow-paced accession process, Ukraine has quickly built a NATO-ready military within 14 months of being ruthlessly attacked by Russia. The purpose of NATO is to defend the West against geopolitical threats, so quickly accepting Kyiv into its ranks should be a no-brainer. Whatever qualms certain countries may have with Ukraine, they can be dealt with once all rule-abiding nations have joined together under one banner.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Grayzone. Hungary isn't the only one against NATO expansion and its deadly consequences, and the proof is in the thousands of protesters — and even some politicians — taking to the streets and speaking out against NATO and the US. Greeks, Germans, and Britons, among others, know this is a US proxy war against Moscow, and they don't want their husbands, wives, and children to shed blood over these political games.

Predictions