Hungary's Peace Mission Leaves Leftist-Liberal Mainstream Frustrated

Hungary's peace mission is causing huge frustration across Europe, partly because European politicians are “jealous” of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, since “it became clear that our prime minister is the only one in Europe who can reach such players of global politics and security as former US president Donald Trump, or the presidents of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a video interview published by the Swiss weekly Weltwoche newspaper on Wednesday.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (Photo: MTI/Lajos Soos)

European politicians are frustrated because they are afraid that it will become obvious to everyone in Europe that they have not only implemented a bad and unsuccessful strategy regarding the Russia-Ukraine war but also one that's caused enormous damage to Europe and the European people, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto told the Weltwoche newspaper. He added that he had experienced this frustration at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

He stressed that the more we talk about it, the more we present this position, the more obvious it becomes that the European Union has failed strategically over the past two and a half years.

In response to a journalist's question about the reaction of EU leaders, Mr. Szijjarto said they had made it clear that Hungary had no right to represent the EU in these negotiations. He emphasized, however, that Mr. Orban did not speak on behalf of the EU.

Obviously, we are fully aware that the rotating presidency has nothing to do with the external representation of the European Union,

– FM Szijjarto underlined, pointing out that Prime Minister Viktor Orban conducted his peace mission in his own capacity, as currently the EU is not viewed as an important player in global politics.

However, Viktor Orban, one of the longest-serving prime ministers in Europe who has broad credibility across the world and is revered for his vision of the future, as well as his courage to openly discuss it, was the only one who could try and make it clear that there are also pro-peace voices in Europe,

– he noted. In this context, Mr. Szijjarto also spoke about the problem that the massive majority of mainstream liberal media outlets in Europe have created an opinion bubble that suggests the Euro-Atlantic position is the world's leading view, which is not true at all. If one has the energy and courage to look outside this Euro-Atlantic bubble, one will see that the global majority respects, sympathizes, and agrees with the Hungarian approach, he stated.

 

On the lessons learned from the peace mission summits, Hungary's foreign minister emphasized that as the Russians are occupying more and more territory each day, they are in no rush to reach any solution because they are winning every day.

So this is what I say, but of course, my Western European colleagues will claim this is just Russian propaganda. No, it is a fact, and they know it,

– FM Peter Szijjarto remarked. He added that the Ukrainians are steadily seeking more and more support and that they are still receiving it because the United States is governed by the Democrats.

Looking at the two warring sides, we cannot really expect either of them to come up with a solution on the battlefield. This implies that the impact needs to come from outside,

– Mr. Szijjarto stated. He noted that there are three key players: the United States, China, and still Europe. But at the moment, Europe is lagging behind the United States because it is mostly copying America's strategy and, in this respect, it is Washington's assistant, one without its own voice, he added.

"The current US administration is clearly pro-war. If there is a change there, and at least two of the three major powers are in favor of peace, that will change the picture completely,

– Hungary's foreign minister explained. According to Mr. Szijjarto, former President Donald Trump's return to power could provide new impetus in this respect. He also recalled that China is in favor of peace and has already taken initiatives. Foreign Minister Wang Yi, together with his Brazilian counterpart, has put a proposal on the table that would be worth discussing, he added.

 

The outcome of the peace mission

According to Mr. Szijjarto, one of the most important results of the peace mission is that the channels of communication are open.

Because, if the communication channels are blocked, we'll lose hope for peace. So in order to avoid a continuation of the tragedy unfolding on the battlefield, we need an alternative path, which is communication and dialogue. This is why PM Orban proposed a debate on whether Europe should reopen the channels of communication with Russia,

– he added. He also said that the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, had devised a "feeble revenge" to hold the informal meeting of foreign and defense ministers in Brussels, instead of Budapest.

Who cares? I mean, they are really losing out here, because I would have hosted them in the national football stadium, which is a much better venue than Brussels,

– FM Szijjarto explained, adding that the ministers of 13 EU member states, including representatives of the biggest countries, had argued in favor of Budapest.

Cover photo: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó (Photo: MTI/Lajos Soos)