British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace attends a joint news conference with Hungarian Defence Minister Tibor Benko in Budapest, Hungary, January 31, 2022. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
Budapest: Britain's defence minister Ben Wallace said on Monday it was important to de-escalate the Ukraine-Russia crisis as a war would lead to greater instability, higher fuel prices and migrant flows.
Wallace also expressed support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's planned trip to Russia on Tuesday for talks with President Vladimir Putin, adding "we need to de-escalate this and stand up for the right for sovereignty of Ukraine".
Hungary's Defence Minister Tibor Benko told the same news conference that right now there was no need for a deployment of NATO troops in Hungary.
Orban's Hungary, a NATO ally, has relatively good relations with Russia despite the tensions between the alliance and Moscow over Ukraine.
