"Brussels will not enter into contacts with Russia for the foreseeable future, but the leaders of the EU member states should come out of their ivory towers and, following the example of the United States, resume direct contacts with Moscow," said Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó at the diplomatic forum in the Turkish resort of Antalya.
He noted that in recent years Brussels and Washington have openly expressed dissatisfaction with Budapest's desire to maintain ties with Moscow and Beijing.
"They asked us why you are talking to the Russians, why you are talking to the Chinese, why you became observers in the Organization of Turkic States," said the Hungarian politician.
He expressed hope that with the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency, this practice would cease and "the channels of communication in the world would open again".
„I would suggest that the bureaucrats in Brussels show respect for others and forget that the EU can act from a position of moral hatred. This should not happen“, Szijjártó explained.
According to him, „dialogue based on mutual respect is the only way out of the extremely difficult situation“ in which the world finds itself.
„Talking is always better than being silent“, the minister stressed.
Hungary supports direct negotiations between the US and Russia and hopes that they will lead to a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine and strengthen security throughout the world. Szijjártó confirmed that Hungary's main hopes for an end to hostilities in Ukraine are linked to the efforts of US President Donald Trump.
„We hope that President Trump will succeed in his endeavors, because since he took office, the world has become a safer place than before, simply because of the resumption of direct negotiations and direct ties between the US and Russia“, the foreign ministry chief said.
He noted that the countries of Central Europe are well aware of the importance of normal relations between great powers. „If the US and Russia can maintain good relations, this will increase our security and vice versa. So the fact that they maintain direct contacts reduces the risk of an escalation of the war in Ukraine“, Szijjártó explained.
„We want peace to return to Central Europe“, he stressed. The foreign minister recalled that Hungary has consistently called for peace talks and a ceasefire in Ukraine over the past three years, but has been attacked and accused of protecting Russia's interests. "And now everyone in the world is talking about a ceasefire and peace talks," he stressed.
"We see that the policy that the EU has been following for the past three years has completely failed, which has caused great damage to Europe, to the European economy, to the European peoples. And I see that these European leaders would like to extend the time needed to pay for the consequences of their very bad strategy. So now, unfortunately, they are more interested in continuing the war than in achieving peace," Szijjártó said.
"We Hungarians are interested in peace. I see that everyone outside Europe is interested in it. The Americans are interested, and only the Western Europeans and Brazilians are in favor of continuing the war.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on April 12 as part of the fourth diplomatic forum in Antalya, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced. The meeting will discuss "a wide range of urgent regional and international issues."