Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Hungary is "shocked” by statements about sending Western troops to Ukraine, the possible use of nuclear weapons and even introducing conscription in Europe.
Minister Szijjártó said at a joint press conference with Belarusian counterpart Sergei Aleinik in Minsk that both countries must face the “dramatic consequences” of the war in Ukraine on a daily basis. “We Hungarians have already paid a huge price irrespective of the fact that it is not at all our war … Hungary’s goal is clear: we want to stay out of that war in neighboring Ukraine.” He insisted that there was no military solution to the war, adding that “in the battlefield, there are only death and destruction”. “But as long as we are in government in Hungary, we will not allow a single Hungarian to be taken to the Ukraine-Russia front… We strongly protest against introducing mandatory conscription in Europe,” he said. Meanwhile, Minister Szijjártó said Hungary and Belarus have signed a nuclear energy cooperation deal under which “Belarusian experience could be used in the Paks upgrade project”. “I hope that Belarusian companies can soon join US, German, and French companies that are currently working at the Paks nuclear plant construction as partners of Rosatom,” he added.