Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, told the 79th UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday that the real issue regarding the war in Ukraine is to find the fastest way to peace.
"Unfortunately, I have to start by saying that we live in an age of danger," Szijjártó said.
After the fall of communism and Hungary's Euro-Atlantic integration, "we would not have thought that we would be facing again the phantom of Cold War," he said.
As a neighbor of Ukraine, Hungary "has been living in the shadow of war" and facing its consequences by accepting 1.3 million refugees from the country, Minister Szijjártó said. "We have been paying the price of a war which is not our war, and for the outbreak of which we do not bear any kind of responsibility."
"I think that after almost a thousand days, the real question is not what we think of the war, the real question is how peace could be made. Or even more precisely ... we have to ask which is the fastest way to peace. Because we have to pick that one," Szijjártó said, adding that Hungary wanted no more destruction.
The success of the European Union and the international community's response to the war must also be weighed carefully, he said. "And if we are honest with ourselves, we have to say that practically nothing has worked out ... [that] was based on an assumption that there might be a solution on the battlefield."
The international community must also ask whether weapons deliveries "made any sense", Szijjártó said. "And obviously, they have made no sense ... because weapon deliveries have not changed the situation on the battlefield and they have not brought us closer to peace either." Weapon deliveries had only increased the number of weapons on either side and prolonged the war," he said.
He also called on those deciding on whether weapons from the West would be allowed to be used in "strategic depth in Russia" to make responsible decisions and to consider the danger of escalation such a step would bring.
Minister Szijjártó said Hungary was deeply concerned over the "open and shameless reference of the possible use of nuclear weapons".
Seeking a solution at the negotiating table would save many lives, Szijjártó said. "Therefore Hungary argues in favour of an immediate ceasefire and the start of peace talks. This would be the fastest way to peace."
The minister said the "international liberal mainstream" had turned "peace into a curse word". Those arguing in favour of peace "will be immediately attacked and stigmatised", he said.