Hungary FM Warns of World War III Threat

Today, humanity faces the grave danger of a third world war, and preventing this must be the UN’s top priority, which requires moving the war in Ukraine toward a solution, said Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto in New York.

Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Photo: Tamas Purger /MTI)

It’s all well and good to assess what has been done in recent years in economic development, education, healthcare, or access to clean drinking water around the world—these are all important and it is right to report on them. But the reality now, as the UN approaches its 80th anniversary, is that its task is to avert the outbreak of a third world war,

he stated. Szijjarto added that major powers and international organizations bear a great responsibility in this regard.

In recent years, numerous security conflicts, wars, and armed conflicts have erupted in various parts of the world, each one dangerous on its own, but together they pose a total threat of world war,

he continued.

If we fail to manage these security risks and crises around the world, for example, if we fail to turn the war in Ukraine—which is happening in our neighborhood—toward peace, the world will face the very serious danger of a third world war,

he warned. Szijjarto stressed that the UN now needs to establish a clear order of priorities, as the threat of world war makes it impossible to implement the previously set development goals.

Just think about how many opportunities for growth, development and progress the Central European region has lost due to the war in Ukraine. Think about us Hungarians, who bear no responsibility for the war in Ukraine, yet have paid a massive price for a war we have nothing to do with,

he underlined.

As long as wars are ongoing around the world, and as long as there is a severe threat of a third world war, it is simply impossible to talk about calm, predictable and foreseeable economic development,

he noted. The minister explained that in his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, he would primarily emphasize that just as at its founding, the UN’s foremost task today is to prevent the outbreak of a third world war. According to Szijjarto, this requires moving the war in Ukraine toward a solution, which in turn necessitates a comprehensive, multi-faceted agreement between the United States and Russia.

If such an agreement does not materialize, and the war in Ukraine escalates further—on the battlefield, in the global economy and in world politics—it will have unforeseeable consequences, and the world will face a severe threat of a third world war,

he summarized.

This is what must be prevented, and this is what we want as well. This is why we argue for peace, for negotiations and for a ceasefire. We will continue to do so in the future, even if we are attacked for it from Europe, from Brussels and from various European capitals,

he added.