The talk that Hungary supports Russia is nonsense, because only the facts should be evaluated, not "complicated and different statements of political groups".And Hungary's work consists of firm commitments to NATO allies, participation in the Baltic air police mission in Šiauliai and calls not to underestimate the power of the "Russian bear", said the commander of the Hungarian army, Gen.Lt.Dr.Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi.- How do you assess the Ukrainian counterattack?Were you surprised by his speed?Do you think it will be difficult for them to keep it, as has been discussed?- This is a difficult question.There is a war between Russia and Ukraine, I have seen the capabilities of the Ukrainian soldiers and they are more than excellent.So it was only a matter of time before they started to counterattack.It is still too early to tell how they will succeed.Now there is a war that resembles a sinusoid, everything rises and falls.But the most important thing is that the armed forces are capable of launching an attack.Now it remains tactical, so let's wait for the results.We cannot underestimate the Russian bear, it remains strong.But Ukraine, supported by the entire democratic world, will continue the fight, I have no doubt.- So it's too early to call it a turning point?- Yes, it's still too early.Both sides still have certain capabilities, tactical and operational situations change very quickly.I'm sure it's too early to judge this counterattack.- Hungary does not transfer any military aid to Ukraine.Why and what do you think about it?- We are always accused of supporting Russia, but this is nonsense.I can give you the facts - we are here in the Baltic States;we are the same frontline country on NATO's eastern flank, so we create deterrence ourselves, we train our armed forces in parallel, but we are the only frontline country that provides air support to others.I don't think there is any question about Hungary's position.Of course, because we have a political attitude not to transfer lethal weapons to Ukraine.Hungary supports peace, not war, and this is very important.But there is another factor - over 150 thousand.Hungarians live in Ukraine and if someone accuses Hungary of not participating in the war, I will say that more than 100 Hungarians have already died in Ukraine because they are serving in the Ukrainian armed forces.There are other countries that do not send lethal weapons to Ukraine, but they are quieter, we always communicate what we are doing.So these are the differences.When NATO began to strengthen deterrence, Hungary was the first country to propose the formation of a Hungarian-led battle group.A battle group is now being formed in Hungary, joined by the United States, Italy, Turkey and Croatia.At the end of this month, we will demonstrate that it has already reached full operational capacity.There is always a difference between what others say and what we Hungarians do.I am sure no one can question Hungary's commitment to NATO unity and efforts.- Hungary has repeatedly blocked common EU decisions.But now the Hungarians are leading the NATO air police mission in Šiauliai, so your commitments to defend NATO allies are firm?- Please, evaluate only the facts, what we have done so far and what we intend to do.Rather than complex and different political statements from different groups.- Are there Hungarians who went to fight in Ukraine when the war started?- There are Hungarians who live in Ukraine, they are citizens of Ukraine, so they have to fight for Ukraine, even though they are Hungarians.We do not have specific data for Hungarian citizens.- How did Hungary's security assessment change after Russia attacked Ukraine?- The security assessment of not only Hungary, but the entire Euro-Atlantic region has changed.With war taking place right next to us, we strongly support NATO's 360-degree approach to security.Now there is a serious threat in the east, but there are also threats in the south.Although there is a war, the volume of migration from the south has doubled this year.There are a lot of tensions in the Western Balkans, where Hungary's main international effort is directed - two-thirds of my troops deployed abroad are in the Western Balkans.NATO's attention is also focused there, and the largest NATO ground mission, which is in the Western Balkans, is headed by a Hungarian general.It shows our commitment to stand with our NATO friends.But we believe that we have to increase the defense capabilities.In Hungary, we started strengthening our forces already in 2016.I always say that we need more and better trained deployable expertise.That's exactly what we do.- What do you think, will the Russian threat decrease in the future, or should NATO be prepared for long-term commitments to strengthen the defense of the eastern flank?- Undoubtedly, NATO must be ready.Now almost every country realizes this, many have started to increase their defense budget to bring it closer to NATO's 2%.GDP limits.Hungary has already done this.I have already mentioned NATO's 360-degree approach, that there are threats not only in the east, but also elsewhere, so NATO must be stronger.The good news is that NATO has never been stronger than it is today.These threats have brought NATO countries and their militaries closer together.I am sure that the whole world can see the unity and joint effort of NATO.- Do Europeans need to do more for their security, or have they already started increasing defense funding?- Of course, everyone does it already.We don't have to wait for someone to come and save us.We, as states, as Europeans, must do more.And most have already started doing it.- Previously, Hungary opposed the idea of ​​NATO starting discussions on Ukraine joining the Alliance.In your opinion, is it realistic for Ukraine to become a member of NATO in the future, or would it strengthen the Alliance?- Sometime in the future - why not.But looking at the current situation, I don't think that will happen anytime soon.This is not the opinion of Hungary, it is the opinion of the entire NATO.We have to make decisions together and now I don't see any initiatives to invite Ukraine to join NATO.Everyone knows that Sweden and Finland are already partner states, so their membership will be fast.This will make the Alliance even stronger, but there are other candidates.We will see - this is more of a political issue than a military one.