In an interview with US TV channel Newsmax, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has thrown his support behind President Donald Trump.
“We stand with President Trump; we cross fingers for him," Minister Szijjártó said in the video of the interview uploaded to his Facebook page on Wednesday. The foreign minister added that under Trump’s leadership, political relations between the United States and Hungary hit a peak. The latest indictment against the former US president, he said, had been politically motivated and Trump was being attacked by the liberal mainstream. The same was largely true in Europe, too, he said. Strong conservative leaders who enjoyed the support of society were attacked by the liberal mainstream, Minister Szijjártó added. Meanwhile, on the topic of Sweden’s NATO accession, the minister said the government supported the ratification process and has submitted a related bill to parliament. The timing of the agenda depends on Fidesz MPs, who have a two-thirds majority, he added. Minister Szijjártó said Swedish politicians had “slandered” Hungary, accusing it of not being a democracy and of being a dictatorship. He said MPs had taken this as an insult and were not yet ready to make a decision on ratification. “When they’re ready, they will make the decision,” he said, adding however that the government was supportive of Sweden’s bid. Asked about the Russian president’s recent comment about Hungary being an unfriendly nation, and whether this had come as a surprise, Minister Szijjártó noted that Hungary is a member of both NATO and the European Union, and Russia considered all member states of both organisations as unfriendly countries. Put to him that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had declared that the Ukrainians were unable to win the war and only negotiations were a viable option, Minister Szijjártó said it was certain that no resolution was possible on the battlefield. Minister Szijjártó said that had President Trump won the last presidential election, the war would not have broken out, noting the absence of any kind of Russian attack during Trump’s period in office. “We do look at his possible return to the White House” as the signal of hope for a peaceful future, he added.