Péter Szijjártó, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations of Hungary argues that the European Union is proud of its inability to resolve the Ukraine issue despite its negative impact on its competitiveness.
Szijjártó mentioned his concern during the “Tranzit” conference, which was televised on the M1 television station. He underlined that it is considerably more problematic because this issue is coupled with a sense of pride. The European Union, often seen as a model of political unification, has thus far faced hurdles in its efforts to advance peace. He stated that the goal had not been met with success.
Hungary has consistently opposed sanctions on Russian energy resources and the delivery of armaments to Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. In March 2022, the Hungarian parliament passed a law prohibiting arms export to Ukraine from its territory. Szijjártó explained that Budapest intends to secure the territory of Zakarpattia, where ethnic Hungarians reside because weapon shipments passing through it would become a legitimate military target. Hungary’s leadership has often emphasised favouring the expeditious initiation of peaceful negotiations.
Péter Szijjártó stated at the Tranzit conference that Hungary considered it a success that it could remain out of the Ukraine conflict and not participate in its escalation despite international pressure.
He said that in the past year and a half, Hungary has been able to talk about its success because it has managed to remain out of the war next door. Even under normal conditions, this is a noteworthy accomplishment. And consider the pressure from the outside world, Szijjártó said.
Preserving human life is the only course of action in foreign policy that contains morality in the event of conflict, said Szijjártó. He said he believes anything contradicting this cannot be regarded as moral. He noted that Hungary has not contributed to any deaths or taken part in endeavours to escalate the situation.
According to him, the risk of conflict escalation is now greater than ever, and the European Union’s political and economic integration is less competitive than ever.
Szijjártó observed that several European politicians are susceptible to war psychosis, but the European populace is not. He asserted that since neither the Hungarians nor the Europeans were responsible for the conflict, making us or the Europeans pay for it would be immoral. No one is fighting for us, he continued; everyone is fighting for themselves.
Earlier, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that peace in Ukraine could only be established through negotiations between Russia and the United States, and Europe missed its chance for mediation because it couldn’t ensure the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
Orbán argued that Europe suffers when it abandons Russian energy resources in favour of American ones because it pays them 5 to 10 times more. According to him, Europe should inquire of “our American colleagues” who benefits from the current state of affairs.
László Kovér, the speaker of the Hungarian parliament, has previously stated that the European Union is already a victim in the Ukrainian crisis because it acts against its economic interests. The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs head stated that the United States benefits from the European recession.
