Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said European leaders have "missed a great opportunity" to amend their "failed" Ukraine strategy, and they should have doubled down on peace efforts amid the current danger of escalation.
Addressing a National Consultation campaign event on Monday evening in Pécs, the minister said Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election had brought closer to a peaceful resolution to the war, but the danger of escalation had also grown, "due to the measures of the outgoing Washington administration that ignore the will of the people".
Minister Szijjártó said European leaders could have used the US developments as an excuse to amend their "failed Ukraine strategy, which is also weakening the continent".
He said his latest visit to Moscow had been aimed at bolstering peace efforts and further guaranteeing Hungary's energy security, as US sanctions against Gazprombank had put countries purchasing Russian energy resources in a difficult situation.
"We are now working together on a solution with the Russians, company leaders and the deputy PM for energy..." Minister Szijjártó said.
He slammed the "hypocrisy of certain colleagues" who "regularly emphasised their support" ahead of EU foreign council meetings “but never stand by me in the debate". "There is a great deal of hypocrisy in the world regarding the ties with the East, Russia as well as China," he said.
Minister Szijjártó praised Hungary's policy of economic neutrality, which allowed the country to trade with Eastern and Western partners alike, "despite the ongoing discourse to decouple the European and Chinese economies."