Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Wednesday, May 20, that Ukraine has the right to defend its territorial integrity because its independence and borders were guaranteed under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. Speaking during a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Magyar described Ukraine as “the victim” in the war and said Kyiv has the right to protect itself “by all means at its disposal.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Ukraine is the victim, and it has every right to protect its territorial sovereignty and integrity by all means at its disposal,” Magyar said. “The independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine were guaranteed by the Budapest Memorandum in 1994,” he added. According to Magyar, any future security guarantees for Ukraine must be significantly stronger than previous international agreements. The Hungarian prime minister also called for a long-term ceasefire as the first step toward ending the war, followed by negotiations on a lasting peace settlement. The Budapest Memorandum was signed by Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom after Kyiv agreed to give up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal inherited following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In exchange, the signatories pledged to respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and existing borders and refrain from the use of force against the country. Russia violated the memorandum by occupying Crimea in 2014 and launching its full-scale invasion in 2022.