Hungary’s government was already calling for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks at the start of the war, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said at a podium discussion in Budapest’s 4th district, according to a ministry statement.
He highlighted that after Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s peace mission last year, the European Commission president had "ruled out a ceasefire and peace talks, arguing that this would have served Russia’s interests". But after this week’s talks between the United States and Ukraine, she has welcomed the proposal for a ceasefire, the minister added.
He described this turn of events as "politically laughable," which, in his view, clearly demonstrates Ursula von der Leyen’s complete lack of seriousness", adding, at the same time, that the issue at hand was very serious.
If this stance had been taken three years ago, hundreds of thousands of lives would have been spared, millions fewer would have had to flee, and there would be tens of billions of euros less damage,
he pointed out.
"We have been saying for three years that a ceasefire and peace negotiations are needed. Those who rejected this three years ago and are now acting as if nothing happened have to ask themselves, in a moment of solitude, how much less loss humanity, Europe, Central Europe—including Ukraine—would have suffered if, instead of insulting the Hungarians three years ago, they had said what we were saying back then, what they themselves are saying now," he stated.
Peter Szijjarto underscored that this also raises very serious questions of responsibility. "I think the majority of European politicians see, know, or at least feel that the political strategy of the last three years has been a total failure, and I think they’re now buying time," he said. "Those who buy time save lives, and they’re trying to delay the moment when they’ll have to admit how much damage three years of a failed policy has caused to the people of Europe," he said.
Because the admission of failure also opens up the question of responsibility—political, legal, and possibly other forms of responsibility,
he added.
He cited the example of the sanctions imposed on Russia which originally aimed at bringing Moscow to its knees and ending the war.
"That was three years ago. And the Russian economy has not been brought to its knees, and it’s clear that after three years it’s not thanks to the European sanctions that we’re at a point where there’s a possibility for a ceasefire and peace talks somewhere in the near future," he emphasized.
"However, in these three years, European competitiveness has been driven to rock bottom," he continued.
"And they have done this in such a pathetic way that by the time they reached the 16th sanctions package, these fine pro-war fanatics had no better idea than to sanction Russian football teams and the Russian Olympic Committee," he remarked.
He also addressed the hypocrisy of the EU, noting that while Hungary has been sharply criticized for cooperating with Russia in the energy sector, many other member states continue to purchase Russian energy carriers.
Cover photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (Source: Facebook)
