Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced on Monday in Budapest that communication between the Hungarian government and the United States administration remains ongoing and active at every level, from technical discussions to the highest political leadership.
Backing up this statement, it was announced on Tuesday that Péter Szijjártó is set to meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this afternoon in Washington.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Szijjártó explained during a press conference on Monday that the principal topic of these discussions is securing peace in Ukraine. ‘We are in regular contact, continuously coordinating our positions on key issues,’ the minister remarked, adding that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has spoken directly with the US President and that further high-level engagements between the Hungarian government and the American administration are scheduled for this week.
Szijjártó stressed that peace is currently the foremost priority in negotiations, particularly in light of what he described as efforts by numerous European leaders to obstruct President Donald Trump’s peace initiatives. ‘For those of us who have been living for three years under the shadow of war and in proximity to conflict, we fully support Donald Trump’s peace efforts. We are well aware that an American–Russian agreement is the sole path to peace in the region, and we will reflect this conviction in the upcoming European debates,’ he asserted.
Regarding this week’s European Council summit, Szijjártó highlighted a fundamental strategic rift over the war in Ukraine between those advocating for peace and those intent on prolonging hostilities. He argued that this divide cannot be bridged through ‘communication tactics or careful wording’, which is why Prime Minister Orbán proposed omitting any reference to Ukraine from the summit’s closing statement, anticipating a lack of consensus. ‘We want the war to end. The others, or at least a significant portion of them, want the war to continue. There is no common ground between these two positions. Any debate on this issue will only result in a display of division, which the European Union should strive to avoid,’ Szijjártó concluded.
Commenting on a recent meeting in London, the minister further asserted that Hungary has no place at the negotiating table with those whom he labelled as ‘pro-war’ participants. ‘We do not seek the prolongation of war. We seek peace and the conclusion of hostilities. Therefore, we see no purpose in attending any meeting aimed at extending the war. We stand for peace,’ Szijjártó declared.
Finally, the minister addressed the question of extending sanctions against Russian individuals, noting that the matter now rests with the European Commission. He recalled that Brussels had previously provided four guarantees to ensure Hungary’s energy security in relation to Ukraine, two of which he claimed had already been violated.
Szijjártó confirmed that he had sent a letter to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to clarify whether these guarantees are still considered valid.
‘From my side, I will await a response, and following that, we will naturally make a decision. There is still some time before the legal deadline of 10 March for the EU to decide on the extension of personal sanctions within the sanctions regime,’ he concluded.
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