2024-07-13 17:54:39
The Hungarian government accused its NATO partners of double standards and failure to deal with Russia’s war against Ukraine, which caused excitement at the end of the NATO summit in Washington, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Szijjártó, in a meeting with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that Hungary will continue to advocate for dialogue and diplomatic channels, a spokesman for the Hungarian first diplomat announced.
Szijjártó said that the current strategy to deal with the conflict of the last two and a half years has been a complete failure.
At the end of the NATO summit, Szijjártó represented Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who left Washington earlier to meet with former US President Donald Trump in the state of Florida, DPA noted.
The Hungarian diplomat criticized NATO’s inconsistent approach, pointing out that Israel is being encouraged to negotiate with the Palestinian militant group Hamas while diplomatic channels on the conflict in Ukraine remain closed.
He also objected to pressure on European Union countries such as Hungary to end their nuclear cooperation with Russia, while trade between the US and Russia, particularly in the uranium sector, increases. He also raised the question of whether secret negotiations are taking place behind the scenes.
Regarding Ukraine’s desire to join the transatlantic alliance, Szijjártó said that from the Hungarian point of view, Ukraine’s NATO membership could weaken the alliance and it is important that such membership be carefully considered.
After the summit ended, participants said Hungary had been isolated during the discussion. Several countries also clearly expressed their disagreement with the Hungarian foreign minister’s statements, DPA notes.