Hungary FM: Chance of Peace Closer, Risk of Escalation Higher Than Ever

We want peace to return to the Eastern flank of Europe, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said during his visit in the United States.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto attending the two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels holds a press conference on the second day of the meeting, on December 4, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Tamas Purger)

US Congressman Mike Waltz, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, regularly contributes to the work of the Congressional Hungarian-American Caucus. That is (also) why we were very pleased that Donald Trump asked him to serve as national security adviser, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto wrote on social media.

I told him how we see the war as a neighboring country and how much we wanted peace to return to the eastern flank of Europe. It's good to know that the friendship between American Republicans and Hungarian patriots rests on solid foundations such as peace, the importance of family, respect for sovereignty and fighting illegal migration,

Peter Szijjarto added. 

In an earlier post, Hungary's foreign minister pointed out that he is now in Washington for talks after his visits in Moscow and Brussels.

In the wake of the US presidential election, an end to the war in Ukraine seems closer than ever, while the danger of escalation is the greatest yet as the outgoing US administration is trying to make brokering peace after January 20 impossible, the Hungarian minster of foreign affairs and trade said in Washington, DC on Wednesday.

Following his talks with Mike Waltz, US  national security adviser-designate, the Hungarian minister stated that the appointment of the congressman to the post would be good news for Hungary as he is a member not only of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees, but also of the Congressional Hungarian Caucus, the ministry's statement says. Peter Szijjarto said that they had a friendly discussion on bilateral relations and geopolitical issues, including the war in Ukraine, which is a major concern also for US decision-makers. 

It is no coincidence that the issue of the war in Ukraine, whether to end it or continue it, was one of the most important questions in the US presidential campaign, and while Donald Trump said clearly he wanted to end the war, Kamala Harris fought for continuing it,

he said.
He underlined that a dual situation has unfolded, as on the one hand, in the wake of the US presidential election, the chance for a quick end to the war in Ukraine has never been greater, and on the other hand, the risk of escalation is stronger than ever. As he put it, the latter is due to the fact that the outgoing administration in Washington is "trying to create a situation where it will be difficult to broker peace after January 20, especially quickly".

Hungary is rooting for Donald Trump's aim of concluding the war quickly to become reality,

 he said, warning that otherwise the risk of escalation would grow day by day, and called it extremely important to keep communication channels open. The fact that "US Republicans and we Hungarian patriots have similar, and occasionally perfectly aligned, views on the most important issues of world politics" will certainly provide stable foundations and a completely new dimension for bilateral relations in the future.

He pointed to the fight against illegal migration and the protection of borders and sovereignty as examples.

We want to base our policies on common sense, family is a priority for both administrations, and we both speak the language of peace,

he said.
The most important takeaway of today's talks with Mike Waltz was that we speak the language of peace and that the risk of escalation is as clear for the US as it is for us, in the neighborhood of the war," Peter Szijjarto said.

"The Democrats here are pro- war, the Republicans are pro-peace, so it was a conversation between the two of us today specifically aimed at peace as an important goal," he said.

There is nothing left but to hope that nothing happens in Ukraine until January 20 to irrevocably change the situation and make brokering peace, creating peace much harder than it now seems,

he added.
At the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels earlier this week, the incumbent US state secretary had a "very different approach", Peter Szijjarto pointed out. He then noted that eight NATO member states have still failed to meet the 2014 commitment to boost their defense spending to two percent of GDP. He added that another NATO requirement is to commit 20 percent of defense spending to upgrading and new purchases, noting that in Hungary this ratio is at 48 percent, the second highest in the military organization 

That is one way we contribute to NATO's strength

he said.
Cover photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto attending the two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels holds a press conference on the second day of the meeting, on December 4, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Tamas Purger)