State Secretary Zoltán Kovács said Hungary supports peace, and its government will resist all pressure to deliver weapons to Ukraine.
The state secretary for international communications and relations told Kossuth Rádió that “prompted by a desire for peace”, the Hungarian people had given another mandate to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government in Sunday’s election, and this further strengthened the government’s stance on the war in Ukraine. Before the war broke out in Ukraine, PM Orbán had travelled to Moscow to try to broker peace, and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó “has also done a lot to promote a ceasefire, as far as Hungary’s abilities go on the matter,” Kovács said.
Regarding the foreign ministry’s decision to summon Ukrainian Ambassador Lyubov Nepop on Wednesday, Kovács said “expressing diplomatic opinions has limits”. Moreover, the Ukrainian leadership’s statements on Hungary have influenced the Hungarian elections, he said. At the same time, Hungary is the “staunchest supporter” of Ukraine’s sovereignty, he said. “A sovereign state to the east of us” is in Hungary’s strategic, security and national interest, he said.
Kovács praised “exemplary cooperation” between state and civil organizations in helping Ukrainian refugees. “All this proves that Hungary is committed to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and is ready to help anyone fleeing the war,” he said. At the same time, “there are facts of life” such as Hungary’s energy dependence that determine the country’s actions, Kovács said. The incumbent government has “inherited” dependence on Russian energy resources, and has done more than any other government to set up alternative routes, he said.
Speaking to news channel M1, Kovács said the Hungarian people had expressed “clearly” their opinion about the government’s performance in Sunday’s election. Regarding the European Commission’s decision to activate the mechanism linking EU funding to the rule of law against Hungary, Kovács said it was time for “European institutions acting with leftist political motivations to wake up and realise that their stance is unsustainable and unfounded.” The election’s outcome has shown that Hungary is a successful country. The opposition was a “leftist block without a vision or values” that aimed solely to obtain power “but had no idea what they would do with it if they succeeded,” he said.
Photo credit: Facebook/Kovács Zoltán