‘The Russia-Ukraine War clearly intimates an emerging multipolar order. States, and not just those in the Indo-Pacific, look around the world and discern that they have options…We are truly in a New World Order. Just not the one that its “end of history” architects originally envisaged.’
The Hungarian government stated in a mass email sent to citizens that it is not willing to take part in NATO’s reportedly planned mission in Ukraine, which would encompass military training and the coordination of arms shipments.
The minister recalled that the world has been facing direct threats of war for the past two years, and the renewed global competition among major powers has fundamentally changed the relationship between governments and citizens regarding security.
Among other agreements, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced preparations for the joint development of a high-speed railway connection, aimed at enabling swift and comfortable travel from the Liszt Ferenc Airport to the centre of Budapest. In addition, the possibility of building an oil pipeline between Hungary and Serbia will be explored with Chinese and Serbian partners, as well as the expanding of Sino-Hungarian cooperation to nuclear energy initiatives.
The Chinese President emphasized that during their discussions with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán they agreed that China and Hungary have always been good friends, trusting each other, assisting one another, and striving to establish mutually beneficial relationships.
Gergely Gulyás, the minister leading the Prime Minister’s Office, stated on Thursday that Hungary does not want to participate in NATO’s mission in Ukraine. He reiterated the government’s unchanged position: the war cannot be resolved on the battlefield, and peace talks are urgently needed.
China’s president Xi Jinping arrived in Hungary late last night. He is expected to stay in Hungary until Friday. Today he was welcomed with a military ceremony by President of the Republic Tamás Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the Buda Castle.
On Wednesday Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held telephone talks. The discussion focused on promoting bilateral relations and the ongoing war in Ukraine, with Zelenskyy inviting Orbán to the Global Peace Summit scheduled to take place in June.
Despite the increasingly hawkish rhetoric from President Emmanual Macron of France, the French Ambassador to Russia did attend President Vladimir Putin’s fifth inauguration. So did Ambassador Konkoly of Hungary, and the envoys of four other EU countries as well.
The political director of the Hungarian PM underscored in an interview with public media that the Chinese President’s visit also signifies that Hungary is becoming a key state in the region. He recalled that it has been twenty years since a Chinese president last visited Hungary, and during this time, China has become a superpower and one of the strongest countries economically, in leading positions in numerous technological industries.