Szijjarto: Many European politicians ‘think they’re playing Fortnite’
Peter Szijjarto said Hungary’s stance was pro-peace and it promoted an end to the war, knowing that prolonged conflict would increase destruction and the number of fatalities while diminishing chances of finding a solution.
According to a ministry statement, Szijjarto told Weltwoche that while “certain European politicians are suffering from war psychosis”, the global majority supported a diplomatic solution in view of skyrocketing energy prices and food crises worldwide.
Hungary’s government, he said, was working to strengthen those voices and would welcome the return of Donald Trump as US president, “because the world was a safer place under his tenure, and there weren’t conflicts on the same scale.”
Speaking on the sidelines of an event marking Weltwoche’s 90th anniversary, Szijjarto said long-term solutions required peace talks, which in turn required keeping channels of communication open. Otherwise, all hope of peace would be lost, he said. “The West should speak with Russia and Belarus,” he added.
Hungary’s situation was special, Szijjarto said, noting a Hungarian minority of some 150,000 people in Ukraine, many of whom had already fallen victim to the war.
He said no solution would be found on the battlefield, and chances of peace were growing more distant every day as the number of fatalities increased.
Responding to a question regarding Swiss foreign policy, Szijjarto said Hungary conducted a sovereign foreign policy and represented national interests, and like Hungary, Switzerland seemed to view global events from its own perspective and rejeced external pressure.
He called for mutual respect to return to international politics, adding that Hungary refused to comment on another nation’s policies in that spirit. “That’s the job of the Swiss people, just like Hungarians know best what’s good for their country,” he said.
