Hungary Again Breaks With West: Ukrainian Attack On Kursk Is 'Wrong'

Hungary has broken with its NATO and EU allies in condemning Ukraine's Kursk incursion, calling it out as not purely 'defensive' but as part of needlessly provocative offensive operations against Russian territory.

Gergely Gulyas, top advisor and spokesman for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a Thursday press briefing that Budapest is staunchly "pro-peace" - and when asked about the ongoing Kursk invasion, he said: "Ukraine is not only defending, but also attacking. We want a ceasefire and peace."

Gulyas went on to explain that Hungary is against anything which thwarts potential diplomatic settlement to the war. He said this is "wrong" given the offensive includes a "spillover of the hostilities into Russian territory."

"The Hungarian government representative also called on Ukraine and Russia not to forget that they are also responsible for Europe's energy security," Ukrainian media noted of the briefing. "He was referring to the transportation of Russian oil and gas through Ukrainian territory."

The question of the EU's gas supply which is piped through Ukraine has come into sharp focus with the Kursk operation, given that early on Ukraine forces captured the Gazprom-administered Sudzha station.

While the potential for infrastructure damage remains largely unknown, it seems clear at this point that neither Kiev nor Moscow wants to end the transport of gas via Sudzha. Deutsche Welle writes:

Benjamin Hilgenstock from the Kyiv School of Economics says if Ukraine wanted to end the flow of Russian gas, it could do so from within its own territory at any time, so there is no reason for them to seize the station at Sudzha for this particular purpose.

"I'm not entirely sure if this is relevant," he told DW. "If Ukraine wanted to stop the transit of Russian gas, it could."

Operators in Austria and Hungary said that despite fighting in Sudzha, gas supply had not yet been disrupted. Hungary especially has been getting more and more nervous over the possibility, however.

Orban has certainly not shared the same enthusiasm for developments in Kursk as other European leaders. For example, recently the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell "reiterated the EU’s full support to the [Ukrainian] people’s fight."

Hungary's government wants Ukraine to cease fire in Kursk Oblasthttps://t.co/TOGuLQ23dV

— Ukrainska Pravda in English (@pravda_eng) August 23, 2024

Interestingly, there's been similar pushback coming from Italy of late related to the Kursk offensive, akin to Hungary's criticisms:

Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has ignited a political firestorm with comments that appear to question Ukraine’s military operations inside Russian territory, POLITICO reported. In an interview, Crosetto warned that ‘no country should invade another country’ and expressed concerns over the conflict escalating into Russian territory, which could complicate efforts toward peace. His remarks have raised doubts about Italy’s commitment to Ukraine, despite Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s staunch support for Kyiv since the start of Russia’s invasion.

Crosetto emphasized that the weapons provided to Ukraine by Italy are intended strictly for defensive purposes, clarifying that these arms ‘do not have the possibility of being used for an attack on Russian territory’.

On a strategic level, while Ukraine forces have certainly dealt a serious morale blow to Kremlin leadership, Russia is still on the advance in the Donbass, where the front line to the conflict is located. If and when Ukraine's Kursk operation utterly fails, it will have translated into no actual strategic gains in eastern Ukraine.