Index – Abroad – Péter Szijjártó: Budapest should be the venue for Russian-Ukrainian peace talks
Péter Szijjártó applied live From Brussels, where he highlighted, it was refreshing to read today the news that the Russians and Ukrainians would be ready to sit at a negotiating table with each other. The Foreign Minister stressed that negotiations are the basic condition for peace between the two countries and that war requires the lives of as few people as possible.
We could read that there was a debate at the venue of the negotiations: first it was Minsk, then Warsaw was in the picture, but there was no agreement on it. So I called my colleague Sergei Lavrov and suggested that he hold these meetings in Budapest. Budapest can serve as a safe venue for both the Russian and Ukrainian negotiating delegations. I also signaled this proposal to the Ukrainian Government, and a few minutes ago I spoke to Andriy Yermak, the head of President Zelensky’s office, offering him this opportunity. Fortunately, neither side withdrew from this. I hope that an exchange of messages will take place between the two of them, which will make it possible for these negotiations, even in Hungary, as soon as possible.
– the Foreign Minister said in his video, adding that Hungary is interested in peace.
If we can contribute to peace with that, that is good. Neither Sergei Lavror nor Andriy Jermak rejected this proposal, thanked them and agreed on it. I sincerely hope that an agreement will be reached within a few hours or days to start discussions; the sooner the talks begin, the sooner there will be peace and the fewer people will have to die in the war
Added Péter Szijjártó.
Prior to the announcement by the foreign minister, he also spoke that in recent weeks, many, including the world’s largest countries, had tried almost everything the diplomatic toolbox had to offer to avoid war in the neighborhood. As he said, war is the worst possible scenario, war takes lives, very much every day.
Hungary is not participating in the war
After the NATO summit, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also posted an entry on his community page stating: Hungary will not take part in the war.
The NATO summit is now over, and I have personally discussed it with the Secretary General of NATO before. I explained and made it clear that Hungary is a country in difficulty, we have one hundred and thirty-a few kilometers with Ukraine
– said Viktor Orbán, who traveled to Brussels on Thursday, where the heads of state and government of the European Union held an extraordinary summit on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Charles Michel, President of the European Council, convened the meeting on Thursday evening at eight o’clock. Viktor Orbán, one of the heads of state and government, took part in person in Brussels – the Hungarian head of government also had a meeting with Jens Stoltenberg, the organisation’s secretary general. The prime minister said in a video on Friday night about the summit that the most important thing was the safety of the Hungarians.
Hungary’s security must be guaranteed in this situation as well, as that is the most important thing. I have made it clear that Hungary will not take part in this war, nor will it allow it to be embroiled in this war. We will provide adequate care for refugees visiting Hungary
Said Viktor Orbán.