After talking with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov by phone, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Hungary is not abandoning its pro-peace stance, and neither will it give up energy cooperation with Russia, even if the war in Ukraine drags on longer than expected.
Before a meeting of Hungary's Defense Council, Minister Szijjártó said it was likely from the "brutal military actions of recent days" that the war in Ukraine would last longer than expected. So the government is bracing the country for further political attacks anticipated "due to its pro-peace" position, he said in a ministry statement.
The minister said he and Lavrov reviewed the war situation and the "devastating military operations of recent days", as well as prospects for peace.
Hungary is interested in a ceasefire and peace talks, he said, noting that he thanked Lavrov for further pursuing Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul today.
He added that "many people" had tried to persuade the Russian government to withdraw from today's talks in Istanbul in light of recent developments, and that he thanked Lavrov for his willingness to press ahead with them nevertheless.
Hopefully, progress would be made in talks, he said, and he welcomed the latest phone talks between the American and Russian foreign ministers.
"This is reassuring news for Hungary since we in central Europe very well know that when Americans and Russians are in direct contact, the risk of escalation is lower," he said.
Minister Szijjártó appealed to his counterpart to stay in direct contact with the US leadership. "It seems there's intent on both sides to do this," he added.
Regarding Hungary-Russia energy cooperation, he said Russian energy sources were key to Hungary and ensured that Hungarian families paid "the lowest utility costs in Europe".
The minister told Lavrov that Hungary wanted to "continue this cooperation". "He assured me that this is also Russia's goal."
Minister Szijjártó said the long-term contractual framework for oil and gas supplies and the infrastructure were "in place" and Russia would "continue to fulfil" its contractual obligations.
He referred to a "sharp division" within the transatlantic community, between those such as President Donald Trump who strove for peace and western Europeans, who allied with Ukraine, "want the war to continue".
This, he added, made achieving peace harder, while the war was likely to last "longer and more brutally than we had hoped".
"Hungary will not abandon its pro-peace position, and we won't give up energy cooperation with the Russians, and we will continue to support Donald Trump's peace plan," he declared.