“[W]e always made clear that the only way to save the lives of the people in and around Ukraine is to come to the end of this war as soon as possible. And the only way you can do that is a ceasefire and peace talks. That's our position,” Szijjarto said on Friday. “We are under enormous attack for this position of ours in the transatlantic community.”
However, according to Szijjarto, external pressure does not force Budapest to change its position on the conflict in Ukraine.
From the very beginning of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022, Budapest has consistently advocated for a ceasefire and peace negotiations, taking an independent position on the issue of sanctions and economic ties with Moscow, as well as refusing to supply Kiev with weapons. Hungary has more than once been subjected to harsh criticism and threats for its refusal to follow the EU foreign policy line, but to this day has not changed its position on Ukraine.