"In preparations for everything that might happen, I have ordered to install in the northeastern parts of the country newly purchased air defense and control systems... With the help of these systems, we can improve detection accuracy in the airspace control zone and reduce the time of response," Szalay-Bobrovniczky said in a video message posted on social media on Wednesday.
The measure was taken after Ukraine received permission to use West-provided missiles for strikes deep into Russian territories and changes in Russian nuclear doctrine, he said, adding that Budapest "continues to believe that peace will be achieved through diplomacy and not through military force."
On Wednesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban convened the country's defense council over the recent update of Russia's nuclear doctrine after some Western states authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles for strikes into Russian territory.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order updating Russia's nuclear doctrine on Tuesday. The expanded list of grounds for Russia's use of nuclear weapons includes retaliation against the use of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction against Russia or its allies; aggression against Russia or Belarus with the use of conventional weapons that poses a critical threat to their sovereignty; credible information that ballistic missiles have been launched to attack Russia or its allies; and the use of weapons of mass destruction against Russian facilities and military personnel located outside Russia's territory.
On Sunday, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed representatives of the US administration, that Biden had for the first time authorized Ukraine to use US long-range missiles to strike Russian territory. According to the sources, the first strikes deep into Russian territory will most likely be carried out with ATACMS missiles. French newspaper reported that France and the UK had also authorized Ukraine to use their long-range weapons to attack Russian territory, but later removed this information from its article. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell claimed that this authorization pertains to strikes within a 300-kilometer (186-mile) radius inside Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the authorization to strike deep inside Russia, if it was accepted and communicated to the Kiev regime, would mean a new round of tension. Peskov also recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had clearly formulated Moscow's position on decisions to strike Russian territory with long-range weapons.