Hungary’s foreign minister told journalists in New York on Thursday that Hungarians wanted to stay out of the war in Ukraine. Responding to a passage of a speech made by his German counterpart which referenced the war in Ukraine, Péter Szijjártó said: “Hungary is not at war with anyone.” In a speech to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Annalena Baerbock said: “Russia’s war of aggression is not only a war against Ukraine, it is a war against the common European peace order.” In reaction, Szijjártó said: “We are not at war with anyone, we do not want to be at war with anyone … our top priority is the security of Hungary and the Hungarian people.” The minister added that Hungarian voters in last year’s general election made clear that staying out of the war was their chief aim, and this motivated government’s decision-making and its efforts towards securing peace talks and a ceasefire.
Asked about corruption cases in Ukraine, Szijjártó said a key principle of Hungarian foreign policy was “not to meddle in the affairs of other countries”.
Szijjártó said that Hungary supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and he vowed to continue Hungary’s “largest humanitarian aid operation of all time” as long as it was needed.