Hungary’s foreign minister has stated that pro-war politicians in the EU are unhappy with Budapest’s peace efforts, as they want the war between Russia and Ukraine to continue.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has asserted that EU threats will not deter Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban from his peace mission to facilitate a diplomatic resolution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
During a visit to Moscow on Tuesday, Szijjarto told RT that Budapest is accustomed to pressure from Brussels.
“It is so obvious that the pro-war politicians of the EU are unhappy [with] what we have been doing because they do not want peace, they want this war to be continued. They do not care about the escalation, but we do,” he stated.
Szijjarto emphasized that Hungary is “used to such kind of attacks… such kind of pressure” from Brussels.
“So we will continue our peace mission… We will work in favor of a peaceful solution” to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as it is in Hungary’s national interest, he added.
In a separate statement to RIA Novosti, Szijjarto revealed that the EU had “threatened to boycott us… threatened to ignore us,” but this pressure has only strengthened Budapest’s resolve to continue its peace efforts. “We are a patriotic government, we are a non-mainstream government, we are under financial sanctions from the EU. So I do not see how they can threaten us any more than they already do.”
In recent years, Brussels has withheld billions in cohesion funds from Hungary, citing concerns over the rule of law and human rights protections in the country. While the European Commission unblocked €10.2 billion ($11 billion) for Budapest in December, €21 billion remains frozen.
Hungary stands out from most EU member states by refusing to supply weapons to Ukraine, criticizing the bloc’s sanctions against Moscow, and advocating for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Orban embarked on his peace mission in early July, coinciding with Budapest assuming the rotating presidency of the European Council. He has already visited Ukraine, Russia, and China, and met with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the US. His plan reportedly involves making concessions to Moscow regarding NATO expansion in Europe, which Russia cited as a key reason for launching its military operation in February 2022.
Upon Orban’s arrival in Moscow, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell insisted that the visit was bilateral and that Orban was “not representing the EU in any form.” European Council President Charles Michel later described the peace mission as “a problem” and deemed Orban’s diplomacy “not acceptable.”
Politico reported last week that EU foreign ministers plan to boycott a foreign affairs summit in Budapest on August 28-29 as a “clear signal” that Hungary should not misuse its EU presidency. On Tuesday, 93 European MPs signed a letter urging the European Commission to strip Budapest of its voting rights.