Hungary FM Warns: A ‘Puppet Government’ in Budapest Would Drag Hungary Into the War

This year's Tranzit Festival in Tihany opened with a world-political assessment from Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto. The minister spoke about the crisis of the European Union, the strengths of Hungarian foreign policy and the situation of the war in Ukraine.

Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto at the Tranzit Festival in Tihany (Photo: MTI/Csaba Krizsan)

“The past year has been marked by Europe’s dramatic decline,” Peter Szijjarto said in his address at the Tranzit Festival.

Photo by Miklos Teknos

According to Hungary's Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister, the world has undergone many changes, and in all of them, Europe has always ended up the loser. He noted that Europe once commanded attention, but this is no longer the case. Europe’s competitiveness has collapsed, he said, with leading players in key industries now relegated to the middle of the pack.

The world’s gaze is increasingly fixed on China and the United States,

he added.

Szijjarto said Europe has become a continent of war, and that Brussels leaders are not only at fault for its sorry state, but also to blame for the shame decent Europeans now feel.

The EU is no longer a serious player in world politics,

he stated.

He emphasized that the Hungarian government’s duty is to shield the economy and Hungarian families from the EU’s downward spiral, while remaining a member of the bloc.

The EU today is dominated by an extremely liberal, pro-war, frustrated elite that bases its politics on madness,

he added.

The EU Is Piling on the Mistakes

Szijjarto said EU leaders have isolated the Union on the global stage. They competed in making crude remarks about Donald Trump—something that backfired once Trump returned to the U.S. presidency.

On China, he said Europe is making a grave mistake by treating it as a systemic adversary instead of focusing on cooperation. On Russia, he pointed out that sanctions have not brought peace nor forced Moscow to its knees. In Africa, meanwhile, cooperation was wrecked by Europe’s insistence on pushing gender issues.

Hungary is the only country in Europe capable of cooperation based on mutual respect and benefits,

he stressed.

He argued that the EU lost the tariff war with the United States, calling the deal signed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen one of the worst, most damaging agreements ever for Europe. On China, he criticized Brussels’s decision to impose tariffs on Chinese electric car manufacturers, warning that European automakers will bear the costs.

EU leadership has dismantled Europe’s competitiveness,

the foreign minister said.

Hungary Attacked for Calling for Peace

On the war in Ukraine, Szijjarto said that for three years Hungary has been viciously attacked by the West simply for advocating for a ceasefire and peace.

The European political elite is invested in prolonging the war. They have taken decisions that serve to globalize the conflict,

he noted.

In his view, EU leaders will eventually have to answer for these decisions. He argued that three and a half years ago, a better peace deal could have been made than is possible now.

We must continue our patriotic foreign and economic strategy, and we must stay out of the war. We can only look at world affairs through Hungarian eyes,

the minister pointed out.

Brussels Bent on Installing Puppet Government in Budapest

Szijjarto stressed that Hungary can withstand external pressure, but the question is for how long. Ultimately, the voters will decide in the elections next spring.

As soon as Brussels installs a puppet government in Budapest, Hungary will be pushed into the war, and Ukraine will be admitted into the EU,

he warned.

The Foreign Minister said Donald Trump’s efforts may bring peace closer, and that the recent U.S.–Russia meeting in Alaska certinly reduced the risk of a third world war. He insisted that only an American–Russian agreement can end the conflict.

he said.

The war between Ukraine and Russia is not an acceptable reason to threaten Hungary’s energy security,

he stressed.

Oszod Plus From the Tisza Party

On Peter Magyar and the Tisza Party, Szijjarto summed up their foreign policy as

we do what ever Brussels tell us to.

He dismissed the Tisza Party’s absence from the political debates at Tranzit, saying it doesn't matter what they would have said as they have already been caught in their lies.

They’ve reached an ‘Oszod Plus’ level: admitting they lied not after the elections, but already before it. That’s a political performance so low that it would take serious efforts to sink any lower,

he concluded.

Cover photo: Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (Photo: MTI/Csaba Krizsan)