5 points on the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories by Russia

1. The annexation is illegal. Putin forced the annexation of the four Russian-occupied Ukrainian counties by arms and legitimised it by fake "referendums". The annexation violates the UN Charter, has been strongly condemned by the UN Secretary-General and will not be recognised by the vast majority of countries. The annexation is designed to allow Putin to show results in a war that is getting worse for him.
2. Russia does not want peace. Although Putin did not achieve his initially declared minimum goals with the war, the annexation made it clear that Russia was not interested in peace. If that is all the war achieves, it would be an admission of weakness on the Putin regime's part and pose a domestic political risk.
3. The threat to Central and Eastern Europe is growing. With the successive announcements of military mobilisation and annexation, the Kremlin has further escalated the military situation, signalling its willingness to go to the limit to achieve its political and military objectives. The escalation further increases the security risks for the eastern wing of NATO, the eastern member states of the European Union, and especially for East-Central Europe, as the Kremlin has declared that Russia will defend its "new territories" by all means, including nuclear weapons.
4. If Russia wins, the war can continue. This is an almost unanimous view in the EU and NATO, but Moscow has also hinted at it, for example, by repeatedly threatening Moldova. That is why united political action against Russia is considered crucial in the West. Russia will continue the war it started against Ukraine eight years ago until it is stopped by force.
5. The Hungarian government's pro-Russian foreign policy is fundamentally flawed. Once again, the annexation clearly demonstrates that the Hungarian government's fixation on abstractly demanding peace is not only misguided but indirectly reinforces the Kremlin's argument and denies Ukraine's autonomy, capacity to decide and act, and right to self-defence and thus, ultimately, its sovereignty. In the light of Russia's aggression and escalation of the war, the Hungarian government's policy of repeatedly voting for EU sanctions but verbally attacking them is discredited at the international level and clearly tarnishes the country's image. Correcting Hungarian foreign policy would be a fundamental condition for restoring trust and security cooperation between Hungary, its regional allies, and the European Union. Failing this, the Hungarian government could become even more isolated in the Western alliance system, with severe political and economic consequences in the current crisis.