Ukraine to Szijjarto: Hungary not in a position to resolve issue of peace talks

Negotiations on ending the war without Ukraine's participation are possible only in the dreams of individual Hungarian politicians.

According to Ukrinform, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said this in a post on Facebook, commenting on Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto's call for the U.S. and Russian presidents to hold negotiations to end the war.

"The Hungarian foreign minister could do a much greater service to humanity if he stopped playing along with the Russians. Negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine itself are possible only in the dreams of individual Hungarian politicians," he said.

Nikolenko noted that Hungary "is not in a position to decide when peace negotiations should begin."

"Budapest had an opportunity to help win peace in Ukraine and Europe, but it chose the other side of history. If Peter Szijjarto really cares about ending the war as soon as possible, we have a piece of advice: before your next visit to Moscow or Minsk, visit Bratislava. Slovakia perfectly understands current threats in Europe. We are sure that our Slovak colleagues would be able to give [Szijjarto] some wise advice," Nikolenko said.

Szijjarto on February 22 emphasized the need for direct negotiations between U.S. and Russian Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin in order to end the war.