According to a statement from the ministry, following an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Szijjarto expressed hope that the Russian–Ukrainian peace talks planned for Thursday in Istanbul would indeed take place.
We have been advocating for peace talks for three years. Three years ago, in March 2022, right here in Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia nearly reached an agreement — they were close to ending the war after less than two months of fighting,
he stated. "However, at the time, the end of the war was prevented. It was prevented by the same politicians who have spent the past three years attacking us daily for representing the cause of peace and ceasefire," he continued.
If those Western European politicians had not obstructed the Russian–Ukrainian agreement at that time, hundreds of thousands or even millions fewer people would have died, the damage in Ukraine would have been hundreds of billions of euros less, and hundreds of billions more could have gone toward developing Europe's economy and defense capabilities,
he added. Szijjarto emphasized that those who blocked the peace talks back then bear serious responsibility for all that has happened since.
That is why today we expect Brussels, European countries, and their leaders not to hinder the success of the Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations,
he underlined.
"We hope that both the Russian and Ukrainian sides will demonstrate the necessary sobriety and openness so that direct talks can genuinely restart — here in Turkey or anywhere else in the world," he said. Szijjarto also noted that he had conveyed, through his American counterpart Marco Rubio, thanks on behalf of the Hungarian people to President Donald Trump for his peace efforts in recent months.
Thanks to Donald Trump, direct negotiations between Russia and the United States have resumed, and these talks have already made the world a safer place than before the talks,
the Hungarian politician emphasized. "Thanks to Donald Trump, there is now at least hope for direct Russian–Ukrainian negotiations. Therefore, we can only agree with him: if he had been president of the United States, this war in Ukraine would definitely not have broken out," Szijjarto added.
Cover photo: Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Source: Facebook)
