The government has successfully protected Hungary from war in the past two years, successfully resisted all external pressures, and this was only possible because of the political stability, which is unique in Europe, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said at a public forum in the town of Biatorbagy on Wednesday. Speaking about the war ravaging Ukraine, the minister stressed that in such a situation the government's primary task and goal must be to resist all pressure, not to allow Hungary to drift into armed conflict and not to take steps that could lead to escalation.
Over the past two years, we have successfully protected Hungary from war, and we have successfully repelled all attempts to push us into the pro-war camp. And we successfully resisted any pressure that would have forced us to make decisions that would have extended the war in time and space,
he said, pointing out that every other member state of the European Union somehow drifted into the pro-war camp, and it was only possible for Hungary to stay out because of the political stability resulting from a two-thirds parliamentary majority, which is unique in the bloc.
There is one country in NATO that does not and has never supplied arms to Ukraine, and that is Hungary. Now the Slovaks are second, but they have supplied arms in the past,
he said.
In this context, he described statements about sending ground forces as extremely dangerous. As he put it, misguided or misinterpreted statements could lead to grave consequences in such a tense situation, which is why it is important to keep communication channels open, as exemplified by Hungary.
At the podium discussion, he highlighted that Russia cannot be defeated on the battlefield, this is inconceivable in the case of a nuclear power, but at the same time, due to Western military support, Ukraine is not expected to be forced to its knees, so a diplomatic settlement will definitely be reached sooner or later.
The question is when the war will end with negotiations. And every single day that passes with war brings more deaths, more destruction, and a new danger of the war widening, he said.
In this regard, he expressed the hope that Donald Trump will win the US presidential elections and that once in office, he will be able to take firm steps to launch peace talks.
EU's strategy so far a failure
He described the strategy followed by the EU so far as a failure, saying that sanctions hurt Europe more than Russia, and instead of isolating the conflict, it has been globalized, while the continent's competitiveness and security are steadily deteriorating, and therefore a sharp turnaround would be needed.
He said that several of his EU colleagues hold a similar view, but they cannot say what they think because of the pressure from the liberal mainstream and the unstable, fragile political arrangements and coalition constraints.
