Speaking in Łódź, Poland, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said communication channels with regard to the war in Ukraine must be maintained to counter the risk of escalation.
Addressing a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the foreign minister added that Hungary “sends a message from the direct vicinity of the conflict that peace is needed as soon as possible”. Minister Szijjártó told the meeting that as a neighboring state of Ukraine, Hungary was “directly and severely impacted” by the effects of the conflict, noting that Hungary is carrying out the largest humanitarian operation in its history. The minister also noted that Poland was struck by missiles around two weeks ago, which may well have led to the outbreak of the third world war had Poland’s leaders not reacted “so calmly and responsibly”. Politicians and journalists who referred to a “deliberate missile attack”, he said, had acted “shamefully” by risking escalation. Similar risks remain as long as the war continues, he added. Referring to the thousands of Ukrainian families lacking electricity amid the winter, Minister Szijjártó said this added urgency to the need to seek a peace settlement.