“In recent months, we have managed to lay stable foundations for a new golden age in Hungary–U.S. relations. Since President Donald Trump took office, friendship has replaced high horse lecturing, accusations and stigmatization,” declared Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in Budapest on Wednesday.
Rajmund Kiss, Head of the Diplomacy Workshop at Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) told Magyar Nemzet that under the Democratic administration and the previous ambassador, Hungary was subjected to public criticism and condemnation, which goes against the fundamentals of bilateral diplomacy:
A diplomat should never criticize the government and citizens of the host country. However, the previous U.S.ambassador did just that even before taking up his post in Hungary’s capital, Budapest.
He continued, stating that even from the United States—the world’s leading economic and political power—such behavior is unacceptable in diplomacy. No one is obligated to come to Hungary, but it was clear that the U.S. State Department and the Biden–Harris Democratic administration gave the ambassador a mandate to adopt a strongly government-critical stance. Magyar Nemzet has reported multiple times that David Pressman took every opportunity to attack Hungary and make false claims.
Kiss emphasized that this was a recurring occurrence, a situation further intensified by the Russia–Ukraine conflict and the consequences of the subsequent war. The former U.S. ambassador aligned with Western policy, which did not focus on peace or ceasefire.
Hungary was the first among EU countries—in February 2022—to propose the importance of ceasefire negotiations. The Hungarian prime minister and Pope Francis were the only figures to initiate ceasefire and peace talks,
Kiss continued, noting that bilateral economic relations functioned very well under previous administrations, with many major American corporations among the Hungarian government’s strategic partners. However, instead of diplomatic and political dialogue, public criticism and condemnation characterized the work of Ambassador David Pressman in Budapest, which was unacceptable.
