Any argument in favor of prolonging the conflict will only increase the number of people suffering, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with French TV channel La Chaine Info. The minister was asked about Hungary's relations with Russia, the war in Ukraine and illegal immigration.
Peace saves lives
The minister said Hungary condemns the war in the strongest terms.
As Hungary is a neighbor of Ukraine, the war has grave economic consequences for our country, but more importantly, Hungarian people are dying in the conflict. There is a large Hungarian community in Ukraine, and because they are Ukrainian citizens, many of them are conscripted into the Ukrainian army and lose their lives on the battlefield,
the minister explained. The war produces many Hungarian casualties, which is why Hungary is in favor of peace and wants a ceasefire as soon as possible, he added. Hungary wants to save lives, which can only be done through peace, he said. However, if the weapon deliveries continue and the war is prolonged, more and more people will die, which must be avoided at all costs.
On the issue of arms deliveries to Ukraine, the Hungarian politician stressed that Hungary is perhaps the only NATO and EU member state that does not supply weapons. The Hungarian position is that sending weapons will only prolong the war. The longer the war lasts, the more people will die. The international community should work on achieving peace instead of sending weapons, because the solution cannot be found on the battlefield. He added that the most important task of the international community should be to save lives.
The host of the show suggested that by not supporting Ukraine militarily, Hungary is playing into Russia's hands. In response, FM Szijjarto stressed that the Hungarian leadership regularly takes up Brussels' criticisms that Hungary is playing to Russia's tune.
Hungary's foreign minister stated that if the war ends and the participants sit down at the negotiating table, the peace agreement could save thousands or even tens of thousands of lives, and nothing could be more important than that.
Hungary, as a neighboring country, has taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees and has witnessed the suffering caused by the war, the minister pointed out.
He added that Hungary's position on the war has nothing to do with Russia or Ukraine, it is an exclusively Hungarian position. It says that we must think independently of the parties involved in the war in order to find our way back to peace. Hungary would like to see this significant change in international politics, because the current political strategy implemented by the international community does not lead to peace in the short term and is detrimental for Hungarians.
Sanctions policy has failed
The host went on to quiz Mr Szijjarto about the sanctions and Hungarian-Russian economic ties, who made two key observations. First, he said, Hungary believes that the sanctions policy has failed,
which he justified by explaining that - against all the expectations - the sanctions have not brought Russia to its knees. To the contrary, the sanctions are more damaging to the European economy than to the Russian economy.
Hungary's foreign minister emphasized that Brussels should give up its sanctions policy because it does not contribute to achieving peace. With regard to Hungary-Russia ties, he noted the energy cooperation between the two countries. Energy supply is not an ideological or political issue, but a security and physical issue, Mr Szijjarto contended. Without Russian energy imports, it would be impossible to ensure Hungary's energy supply.
He said it was extremely hypocritical to ask Hungary to cut off its Russian energy supplies, as the infrastructure necessary to replace it is unavailable at this point. The Hungarian government will not introduce restrictions and force people not to heat their homes, nor will it ask companies to halt their production.
Hungarians are paying the highest price for the war, even though it is not their war, he added, describing the above accusations as hypocritical and borderline insulting.
According to the Hungarian minister, the question is not whether Hungary will continue to see Vladimir Putin as a partner once the war is over, but rather how to achieve peace, for which communication is essential. The channels of communication with Moscow must be kept open, because the war must end at the negotiating table rather than the battlefield, he said.
Rotating presidency
The interview also touched upon Hungary’s rotating presidency of the EU in 2024. The minister said that the European Union had laid down clear rules regarding the rotating presidency.
Hungary is often accused by German politicians of violating the rule of law, but in fact it is this criticism that runs counter to the EU's founding treaties, as the proposal that cites political disagreements as grounds for revoking a member state's right to hold the presidency is not democratic at all.
We want to decide who to allow in our country
Speaking about the wave of immigration since 2015 and the migration quotas, the minister voiced his opinion that mass illegal migration will not help any of the EU states. People crossing borders illegally, flooding countries and occupying public spaces and acting in a threatening manner towards citizens is not a solution to any European challenge.
The Hungarian foreign minister stressed that Hungary wants to preserve its sovereign right to decide who it allows into its territory.
The reporter underlined that Hungary obviously belongs to the right of the European political spectrum, where there are countries that are more permissive towards Russia and others that are clearly anti-Russian. Regarding the next European elections and whether the right-wing will gain ground, FM Szijjarto stressed that they achieved the best result of all European parties in the last parliamentary elections, adding that he was confident that they could repeat this in next year's European elections. The politician said that the most important thing is to achieve a pro-peace majority in the European Parliament, adding that the European Parliament should work for the restoration of peace in Ukraine. The politician expressed his hope that the majority of MEPs in the European Parliament will be on the side of peace, which is not the case at the moment, he added.
Ridiculous accusations
The reporter then asked Mr Szijjarto about the Hungarian government's latest general election victory, suggesting that - according to many European observers - it was thanks to a press controlled by the prime minister. Mr Szijjarto said this accusation was ridiculous, adding that those who hold such views on Hungary's electoral system are siding with the defeated opposition and questioning the legitimacy of the Hungarian elections, which is tantamount to questioning the will of the Hungarian people. He also stressed that the Hungarian people have a sovereign right to decide on the future of their country, adding that they will not allow anyone to call this right into question.
Cover photo: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto at a meeting with the leaders of the French energy company EDF in Paris on 7 June 2023 (Photo: Facebook)
