Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó spoke in front of the United Nations’ Conference on Disarmament on Tuesday, 25 February in Geneva, Switzerland. The day before, the UN Security Council adopted a US-drafted, neutral resolution on the Russo–Ukrainian war; while the UN General Assembly adopted another resolution that condemns Russia as the aggressor.
Minister Szijjártó started by noting that we live in dangerous times, with the number and intensity of armed conflicts increasing around the world. He went as far as saying ‘we are on the brink of a new Cold War’. He pointed to the Middle East, Africa, and, evidently, Eastern Europe with the Russo–Ukrainian war, where conflicts are intensifying.
However, he warned against bloc-forming as a response to all these unfortunate developments, as it was done during the Cold War. ‘Hungary lost four decades of history,’ as he put it, due to the rival political blocs in the 20th century.
He went on to point out that Hungary has been living in the immediate vicinity and shadow of the war in Ukraine for years. Referring to the massive destruction, he said that the previous leadership of the European Union and the United States chose the wrong way to deal with the crisis, as neither arms deliveries nor sanctions have brought peace closer.
Hungary, on the other hand, ‘has consistently stood for peace over the past three years,’ he added, refraining from delivering arms to Ukraine while also overtaking the largest humanitarian effort in its history to help the Ukrainian refugees fleeing war. However, the Orbán administration also kept diplomatic channels open with Russia, as it believed that only by doing so could there be a possibility for peace.
‘Only a Russian–American agreement can bring peace back to the heart of Europe. We have been arguing this for three years. For this stance, we were labeled spies, Trojan horses, and propagandists. And what’s happening now? US–Russia talks,’ Minister Szijjártó highlighted in his speech before the UN, also saying that ‘a good US–Russia deal could be the pillar of global security’.
He welcomed the victory of the ‘pro-peace candidate’ Donald Trump in the 2024 US presidential election, and also called on the ‘pro-war leaders’ of the world not to obstruct the peace talks with President Putin of Russia.
Related articles:
