Szijjártó called peace in Europe Hungary's main goal

The priority for Hungary in its foreign policy is peace in Europe. This was stated by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto in an interview with Bulgarian National Television on Saturday, December 14.

"A peaceful Europe is our number one task. Number two is that Europe should not lose but win on the issue of competitiveness. Unfortunately, in recent years it has started to lose precisely because of the over-ideologization of its policies. The European Union is not a superpower and Brussels is not the capital of an empire," the minister said.

Szijjártó emphasized that the conflict in Ukraine must be stopped. If Kiev decides to lower the mobilization age, it will lead to even more deaths, which is unacceptable.

The minister also said that he was pleased with the result of the presidential election in the United States. In his opinion, the elected leader of the States Donald Trump is a hope for the restoration of peace.

"President Trump gives hope that the conflict in Ukraine will be over. With his victory, the return to normality will be more real," the politician noted.

Earlier, on December 12, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a telephone conversation with Szijjártó, confirmed the Russian Federation's vision of a realistic way to end the conflict in Ukraine.

The day before, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Hungary had offered Ukraine to establish a ceasefire with Russia for Christmas and make a prisoner exchange, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the initiative. The Hungarian prime minister called Kiev's decision sad.

Earlier in the day, the Hungarian prime minister discussed the situation in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone. Orban promised that Hungary will use all diplomatic means that will help to cease fire and establish peace.

Before that, on December 6, the politician called it a mistake for Kiev to refuse to negotiate with Moscow in 2022. He pointed to the fact that Russia has become stronger and Ukraine weakened over time and recalled the role of the United States in fueling the Ukrainian conflict.

Putin said on June 14 that Russia has always sought peace and is ready to sit down at the negotiating table even tomorrow. This will be possible when Kiev withdraws its troops from Russian regions and officially renounces its intentions to integrate into NATO, he pointed out. However, if Kiev and the West refuse, the responsibility for the ongoing conflict lies solely on them, the Russian leader added.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Putin announced on February 24, 2022, is ongoing. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.