Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said in Parliament on Tuesday that every day of the Ukraine conflict posed serious security risks to Hungary. “That is also why we have a vested interest in peace returning to Ukraine as soon as possible,” he said. The government’s most important obligation is to guarantee the security of Hungarians, Minister Szijjártó said. As a result, the government refuses to supply weapons to Ukraine and to let through transports that represent military targets, he added. At the same time, Hungary gives all possible help to Ukrainians in a difficult situation, he said.
A total of 724,639 people have entered Hungary directly or indirectly from Ukraine since the start of the war and the authorities have let them all in, they have received care and those that wish to stay in the long term receive help to find work, he said. He expressed his resentment “on behalf of all decent Hungarians” at attempts to conflate migrants with families arriving from Ukraine. “The illegal migrants storming our southern borders” have no right to enter Hungary after crossing through several safe countries, he said. International law gives clear instructions concerning this matter, he added.
Minister Szijjártó noted that the government had recently offered a support package worth a total of HUF 14 billion (EUR 37m) to improve the Ukrainian humanitarian situation. Hungary is ready to participate in the reconstruction of a demolished school and hospital, has offered mobile homes to internally displaced people and 1,000 scholarships to Ukrainian students. Hungarian hospitals are ready to offer medical services to wounded soldiers from Ukraine without a limit and to treat 130 children, he added.
Photo credit: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter