Justice Minister Judit Varga said Hungary’s interest lies in a strong United States.
“We see that a weak America allows escalation to happen, so we are interested in a strong America because it is the key to the symbolic door of peace from a Hungarian perspective,” Minister Varga said in connection with the war in Ukraine, in an interview with public media. The minister added that a move towards peace talks, rather than escalation, was also in the interest of Europe and the rest of the world. Minister Varga said weapons deliveries represented “an opposite direction”, adding that it was important for there to be an American leadership in the future “that has a better grasp … of which steps could lead to escalation or de-escalation”. Concerning the state of Hungary-US ties, Varga said that though the government was aware that “the current US administration does not share the ideological and political position of the Hungarian government” this did not affect economic or diplomatic relations, “since we’re looking for friends, not enemies, when it comes to foreign policy”.
Assessing her visit to the US, Minister Varga said she was there to build alliances and had discussed potential political cooperation with many politicians. The minister said it was important to find common ground that could be used to help each other’s politics, adding that US conservatives regarded Hungary “with great respect” and as a country that had been able to prove that it was possible to protect land borders from mass illegal immigration. US conservatives see a Hungary that is capable of protecting children and guaranteeing parents’ right to raise their children, she added.
Varga said her talks in Texas had also touched on the EU’s planned migrant redistribution mechanism, expressing hope that the draft legislation would not be passed by the European Parliament before next year’s elections. Just as the EU is preparing for parliamentary elections next year, the US will hold its presidential election, she said, adding that European and American political allies could potentially assist each other. Meanwhile, Varga said the Hungarian government’s warnings about progressive social political and ideological aspirations were based on trends seen in the US. Trends tend to make their way from west to east, she said, arguing that those emerging in US society would eventually make their way to Hungarian society as well. Regarding the aim of Hungary’s child protection law, she said the government “doesn’t want what has become reality here … to also become a general reality in Hungary”. Varga began her visit in Dallas, where she presented Peter Verhalen, head of Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey, with a high state award.