Hungary sees no need for NATO backup in its airspace

Hungary’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that new NATO deployments won’t come to the country for now, but that Budapest is taking seriously the military threat posed by drones.

Budapest is often reluctant to condemn Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. However, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said the war is causing “risks” after Russian drones entered NATO airspace over Poland last week.

On Friday, NATO’s secretary-general and the supreme allied commander for Europe (SACEUR) announced new air defence deployments on the alliance’s eastern flank, dubbed Eastern Sentry.

The initiative “is going to cover the entire eastern flank of the Alliance, from the High North to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, anywhere that we might see a threat from the Russians”, the SACEUR, US General Alexus G. Grynkewich, said, while adding that the focus remains on Poland.

Asked by Euractiv about its possible involvement in Eastern Sentry, Hungary’s defence ministry said no decision has been made but that it does not plan to request extra support from its military allies for the moment.

NATO reinforcement, for example with air defence units, “could also be deployed to Hungary if necessary”, the defence ministry said, while noting that Hungary had already reinforced its national air defence measures “in response to the growing drone threat”.

Hungary also participates in air patrols with Saab-made Gripen aircraft.

The drone incident in Poland last week was not a one-off, with previous drone incursions in Poland, Romania, and the Baltic states in the past years, especially since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Lithuania and Latvia have been requesting more air defence on the alliance’s eastern flank for the past three years, especially against drones.

Since the Russian drone flyovers last week, several European countries have committed assets to the eastern flank: Czechia is sending three helicopters, Denmark two F-16 fighters plus one anti-air warfare frigate, France with three Rafale fighters, Germany with four Eurofighter aircraft, and the UK with Typhoons. Italy, Spain and Sweden have also pledged support.

(cp, vc)