Barna Pál Zsigmond, the parliamentary state secretary of EU affairs, said the EU leadership has poorly handled various crises linked to the war in Ukraine.
The state secretary said that almost two years since the outbreak of the war, the EU has failed to work out a strategic response to how the sides may advance towards peace and how to lessen the economic damage to the bloc. Meanwhile, EU leaders had nothing to say about the migration crisis, growing anti-Semitism and the threat of terrorism, he added. Hungary, the official said, would back all initiatives that get Europe moving in the direction of peace and prosperity but it would not support “irresponsible promises” concerning “EU institutional and financial issues” related to Ukraine. Ukraine’s EU accession should not be forced through at any cost, he said. Rather, accession talks with Western Balkan countries should be concluded, as this would be in Hungary and the whole of Europe’s interest, he added.