UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in Budapest

The British Secretary of State for Defence arrived in the the Hungarian capital for bilateral talks with his counterpart, the Hungarian Defence Minister Tibor Benkő, focusing on European Security and the ongoing threat of Russian military forces on the border of Ukraine.

The Ministers laid wreaths at the Memorial Stone of the Unknown Soldier at Heroes' Square, before their meeting at the Stefánia Palace in Budapest.

According to the British Embassy, the importance of NATO as a defensive alliance was discussed, including the Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission which is under Hungarian command and to which the United Kingdom contributes.

At the joint press conference held after the talks, the Hungarian minister was of the view that Hungary is committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Ben Wallace said that Central Europe is important not only for the UK, but also for NATO. If Russian aggression were to turn into an invasion of Ukraine, Hungary would also suffer: energy and food prices would rise, and in addition to economic hardship, migration pressure would also be a threat, he said.

As the Hungarian state news agency MTI reports, the ministers discussed how to mitigate the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Ben Wallace noted that the worst should be avoided. In the midst of the fight against the coronavirus epidemic, an escalation of the conflict would be a particular problem, he pointed out.

The British Defence Secretary will visit Croatia and Slovenia in the coming days.