‘My colleagues listed some…fine principles: sovereignty, diversification, energy security, solidarity. However,…if the von der Leyen-Zelenskyy plan goes into effect, Hungary will be subject to the opposite of all these. This proposal is a serious violation of our sovereignty, since the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that energy policy decisions are a national competence.’
At the Yerevan Dialogue conference, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary has criticized the EU’s political climate, lamenting the decline of rational debate and the proclivity to label views outside the liberal mainstream as ‘fascist’. He also defended Hungary’s national-interest-driven policies and praised Trump’s resurgence of patriotism and sovereignty on the global stage.
‘The defence of Ukraine is not the defence of the alliance, not the community, not NATO. Ukraine is currently the threat,’ Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó warned on Thursday. The minister firmly rejected accusations from his Polish counterpart, accusing him of aligning with Kyiv in what he described as a disinformation campaign against Hungary.
After the terror attack in the disputed Kashmir region last month, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó of Hungary wrote in a Facebook post that he had spoken with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar over the phone; and that Hungary wants to see a de-escalation of tensions in the region.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has held a joint press conference with Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, where he declared that both Hungary and the Vatican remain committed to pushing for peace in the Russo–Ukrainian war, and to helping persecuted Christians worldwide.
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stated that the Trump administration is open to reviewing and repealing the sanctions and retaliatory measures imposed on Hungary by former US president Joe Biden. In their first in-person meeting, Szijjártó and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also discussed strategic cooperation in the energy and defence sectors.
Hungary maintains regular dialogue with the US administration as it advocates for peace in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated, while warning of irreconcilable differences within the EU regarding the continuation of the war.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary met with Mercedes-Benz executive Jörg Burzer this week, and stressed the importance of cooperation with the German car manufacturing giant in a Facebook post afterwards. Mercedes has a plant in Kecskemét, Hungary which currently employs around 4,500 people.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó of Hungary shared a Facebook post about his phone conversation with Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović of Serbia. In it, he wrote that cooperation with neighbouring countries on energy policy is crucial in these times; and announced that the two countries have agreed to accelerate their joint energy security investments.
In a provocative and disingenuous statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry declared that Ukraine would be prepared to take Hungary’s place in NATO and the European Union if Hungary chose to exit them and join Russian-led organizations such as the CIS and CSTO instead. Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó described the statement as ‘rather aggressive.’