Hungary reaffirms Belarus partnership, advocates peace in Ukraine at Minsk meeting

Further developing Hungary-Beralus economic and energy cooperation in areas not affected by sanctions is an important common goal, the foreign minister said in Minsk on Thursday.

The ministry cited Péter Szijjártó telling a joint press conference with Belarus counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov that the global security situation was currently in its worst shape since the Second World War, so stabilisation would be important.

“The recent period has proved that wars cannot be resolved on the battleground … this only leads to more deaths and greater destruction,” he added.

“The solution instead must be sought at the negotiation table. This is why we Hungarians call for ceasefire and peace in Ukraine, and the road to peace lies through peace talks,” he said.

He added that Hungary had been living in the shadow of war for a thousand days, directly feeling the negative impacts of the war day by day, despite the fact that Hungary had no responsibility at all for the outbreak of the war.

“We Hungarians want to live in peace. The pro-peace position here in Europe is in a minority considering the political leaders but this should not mislead us, because in the global space, pro-peace countries are in sweeping majority,” he said.

He said he believed “the world is racing to its own destruction, with some trying to tell others who they should speak and meet with”.

“First of all, it is our sovereign right to hold talks with anyone we want to. Secondly, I believe that if we close the channels of communications and cut diplomatic ties, then we would only kill the hope for peace,” he said.

“So, we will continue to work in the future on keeping the channels of diplomacy open and maintaining dialogue,” he added.

Commenting on bilateral relations, he said that further developing Hungary-Belarus economic and energy cooperation in areas not affected by sanctions was an important common goal. “It is our national interest, and we will not give it up,” he added.

He said that given the adverse circumstances, the situation was “not bad”, with Hungary-Belarus trade expanding by 19 percent this year, including a 30 percent growth in Hungarian exports.

He added that agriculture and pharmaceuticals were highlighted areas of cooperation, as demonstrated by nearly 10 million hatching eggs supplied by Hungarian companies to Belarus last year, and 420,000 laying hybrids this year, and two Hungarian pharmaceuticals, including Richter, holding strong positions in the local market.

He said Belarus played an essential role in guaranteeing Hungary’s energy security, with a decisive part, r around 71 percent, of crude oil shipments crossing the country. Accordingly, so far this year Hungary has received 3.9 million tonnes of crude on this route, he added.

“We do not consider the security of energy supplies an ideological issue but a physical one,” he said.

“Belarus, a hundred percent trustworthy transit country, guarantees us the security and reliability of transport,” he said.

The route will continue to play a significant role in crude oil supplies “because there is currently no alternative”, he said. “As we have been saying for a long time, the crude pipeline running through Croatia simply cannot supply as much crude to Hungary and Slovakia as needed,” he added.

Commenting on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, he said Hungary is building a power station using similar technology as Belarus’s, so the exchange of information could be important for speeding up the investment project.

Referring to soccer team Dinamo Minsk and its involvement in the UEFA Conference League, he said Hungary was ready to offer a venue for the soccer team to play in Hungary as if it were playing at its home ground.

Read also:

• Szijjártó in Minsk: Record gas deliveries highlight Hungary’s energy cooperation with Russia
• Fidesz confident they will win Hungarian elections in 2026