Hungarian Foreign Minister Calls for a Ceasefire to End Conflict in Ukraine
Jose Nino
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In an interview on SVT TV channel, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto declared that only a ceasefire can bring an end to the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. He stressed that the solutions the European Union leadership is pursuing are not working in trying to allay tensions in Ukraine.
“The first goal is to stop killing people, which means a ceasefire agreement and nothing more,” the Hungarian foreign minister said.
Per Szijjarto, EU sanctions have failed to halt the conflict.
“We have already introduced 10 sanctions packages; has it brought us any closer to a resolution [of the conflict]? No. Has it brought Russia to its knees? No. Has it hurt us? Yes. I think that the ‘solutions’ that we have been trying to find in Europe simply didn’t work, because we’ve got too carried away with the war mentality,” he stated.
When he was questioned about Hungary not sending weapons to Ukraine, the Foreign Minister responded: “We are a state that neighbors Ukraine, and we do not want more people to die. This is why we are working to stop it. We do not ship weapons, we continue to advocate peace.”
Of all the countries in Europe, Hungary is the most geopolitically sane. Peter Szijjarto is perhaps the most skilled diplomat on the world stage right now. He has been able to navigate the uncharted waters of multipolarity deftly. Unlike the universalist fanatics in Brussels, London, and Washington DC, Szijjarto recognizes the validity of engaging with the Eurasian behemoths of China and Russia on a rational basis.
Sure, there will be disagreements with these parties. However, this does not justify wholesale regime change efforts and other hostile behaviors directed against them. Hopefully, more Western nations follow in Hungary’s footsteps and start embracing realism and restraint on the foreign policy stage.
If they don’t, the West will not survive the multipolar era.
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