FM Szijjártó: Few countries did more than Hungary for peaceful settlement of Russia-Ukraine conflict

There are very few countries that have made more efforts than Hungary for a peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict over the past one thousand days, the foreign minister said on Sunday.

The war has been going on for more than a thousand days and Hungary’s position has not changed ever since it broke out, Péter Szijjártó told public broadcaster Kossuth rádió. Hungary’s position, which has since been proven true, is that this war has no solution on the battlefield where there is only death, suffering and more destruction, he said.

He said that the war claiming human lives in the ranges of a million had not opened the eyes of everyone, adding that weapon deliveries had not changed the balance of power. The Russian army is forging ahead and occupying more and more territories, Szijjártó said.

“The only solution is to be found solely at the negotiating table; there must be talks, but for peace talks a ceasefire in needed first,” the foreign minister said.

Szijjártó noted Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s proposal of a ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners in humanitarian steps with the upcoming days of the Christmas celebrations taken into consideration.

He also noted the prime minister’s phone conversation with the Russian president earlier this week that lasted for more than an hour.

Szijjártó said that as Hungary’s foreign minister he had informed his Ukrainian counterpart as well as the head of the Ukrainian president’s office [about that phone conversation] asking them to arrange a phone conversation between Viktor Orban and the Ukrainian president which he said was rejected “in a bit uneasy, yet cultured manner”.

“Hungary has tried to do everything [possible] under its mission for peace in the past half year, even more than what could be or would have been expected from a country this size,” Szijjarto said.

“We have made every possible effort under our EU presidency in the past six months to use the presidency for a good cause, for a ceasefire, for starting peace talks,” Szijjártó said.

Talking about a threatening email received by Hungary’s embassy in Paris on Saturday, the minister said that it had been sent from a country neighbouring Hungary and contained a picture of a bomb.

The minister said his colleagues in Paris had immediately notified the foreign ministry’s security centre. French authorities arrived at the scene quickly and very professionally with appropriate technology and search dogs. As no explosive device was found, the embassy staff returned to their offices to continue their work, Szijjártó said.