Hungary pushing Ukraine to talks as Szijjarto speaks against further defense aid to Ukraine

Since the beginning of the war in neighboring Ukraine, Hungary has insisted on finding a peaceful solution at the negotiating table, and continues to believe that arms supplies to Ukraine only increases the death toll and destruction.

This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the EU-presiding Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, who spoke at a press conference following the meeting of the EU Council of Ministers on Foreign Relations (trade) in Brussels on Thursday, reports an Ukrinform correspondent.

Hungarian authorities are convinced, the minister said, the 1,000 days of war prove that supplying weapons only helps to kill more people, leading to more deaths, and that there can be no solution on the battlefield, therefore parties should seek a solution at the table.

Speaking of Hungary’s geographic proximity to Ukraine, Szijjarto noted that his country sees the consequences of the war on a daily basis.

He recalled that 1.4 million displaced Ukrainians have arrived in Hungary since war-start, and hundreds of schools and kindergartens for displaced children have been launched in the country. Hungary also remains the largest supplier of electricity to Ukraine, providing a third of the existing demand, although it is rarely mentioned, the minister said.

While Hungary has rooted for ceasefire since the very start of the invasion, the Hungarian government has high hopes that the future administration of President-elect Trump in the U.S. will also be determined to restore peace to Ukraine. Szijjarto expressed hope that Trump will follow up on his promises and help restore peace in Hungary’s neighborhood.

The foreign minister reiterated the position that weapons can’t help end the war while peace talks can.

At the same time, he noted that the issue of energy supply remains a national competence, because it concerns national security. In this context, according to Szijjarto, Hungary is pleased with its cooperation with Russia, which it considers a reliable partner, and from which it has always received energy at an affordable price, in agreed volumes, and on time.

He noted that Hungary has no intention of changing energy suppliers under any circumstances, especially because those rejoicing over getting rid of Russian energy are “actually buying the same Russian energy from us," Szijjarto said.

As reported earlier, a meeting of European trade ministers took place today in Brussels, where the parties discussed the situation of the EU Single Market and ways to improve its competitiveness.