Situation in Ukraine fraught with risk of third world war — Hungarian top diplomat

The situation in Ukraine has the potential to lead to a direct armed conflict between Russia and NATO, which may result in a third world war, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday before leaving for a meeting with his NATO counterparts in Bucharest.

"Two weeks ago thanks to the composure and responsibility of Polish leaders, we managed to avert such a nightmare as a third world war," he said, recalling the fall of a Ukrainian missile in Poland. "Regrettably, as long as the war in Ukraine continues, this risk stays in place. That is why we must do our utmost to avert a direct conflict between Russia and NATO at any time in the future," he wrote on his Facebook (outlawed in Russia as belonging to the Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist in Russia) account.

The Hungarian top diplomat will take part in a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Bucharest. The meeting is expected to focus on the situation in Ukraine and assistance to Kiev.