Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Hungary would gladly provide a venue for peace negotiations on Ukraine if needed, noting that Hungary is the only country in Europe today able to maintain respectful dialogue with both the United States and Russia. He spoke on Thursday in Budapest in an interview for the program Harcosok Órája.
Szijjártó recalled that only three days after the war began, he had spoken by phone with both his Russian counterpart and the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, offering Hungary as a host for talks. He stressed that, despite pressure, Hungary had consistently advocated for keeping diplomatic channels open. “I know of no European politician other than Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who can speak equally with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin,” he said, adding that this ability to engage both powers is unique in Europe.
“If we are needed, we are ready. We will provide fair and secure conditions for such negotiations, and we are glad if we can contribute to peace efforts,” he declared.
The minister rejected as false a Bloomberg report claiming a recent phone call between Trump and Orbán, stressing that “no such conversation took place.” He went on to describe last week’s U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska as “the most hopeful development in three and a half years,” warning, however, that “the greatest threat to this peace process comes from pro-war European politicians.”
Turning to Ukraine’s EU membership, Szijjártó argued that accession would not provide security guarantees, as the Union is not a military alliance, and that admitting Ukraine would impose “an unbearable burden” politically, economically, and agriculturally. “It would lead to the final weakening of the European Union,” he concluded.