Hungary has a place in the Peace Council based on both its principles and its national interests, as the initiative could extend beyond the situation in Gaza and contribute to efforts to end the war in neighbouring Ukraine, Foreign Minister Szijjártó Péter said on Thursday in Washington.
After the arrival of the Hungarian government delegation, the minister said a new world order was emerging that relied more heavily on bilateral relations, intergovernmental cooperation and personal ties. According to a ministry statement, the creation of the Peace Council at the initiative of Donald Trump was a tangible sign of this shift.
He said Trump’s peace efforts offered hope that ongoing armed conflicts around the world could be resolved through diplomacy, pointing to the Abraham Accords of 2020, which helped normalize relations between Israel and several Arab countries after decades of unsuccessful attempts.
Szijjártó said Hungary was joining the Peace Council not only because it supports the cause of peace but also because the war in Ukraine is taking place in its direct neighbourhood. He argued that the initiative could have relevance beyond the conflict in Gaza and potentially assist broader peace efforts.
He also stated that there was currently no better opportunity to end the war than Trump’s peace initiatives, adding that the conflict might not have broken out in 2022 if Trump had been president at the time.
The minister also addressed the halt in transit through the Druzhba oil pipeline, saying Ukraine had engaged in what he described as political pressure against Hungary by attempting to create a supply emergency. He stressed that the government would not give in to such pressure, arguing that it would run counter to national interests to become involved in the war, send Hungarian funds to Ukraine or support the country’s accession to the European Union.
Szijjártó said Hungary had taken steps to prevent a crisis and that if the European Commission functioned effectively it should act on behalf of Hungary and Slovakia. He called on Brussels to urge Kyiv to stop what he described as political pressure affecting the energy supply of EU member states.
At the same time, he said Hungary’s fuel and energy supply remained secure. According to the minister, the energy company MOL Group had ordered maritime shipments that are expected to arrive at a Croatian port in early March before being transported to Hungary within days, meaning only a small part of strategic reserves would need to be used.
He also noted that the recent visits of Marco Rubio to Budapest and Bratislava showed how the United States viewed Central Europe, adding that in his view the issue should be addressed primarily by Brussels rather than Washington.
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