Hungarian minister in Belarus: possible use of nuclear weapons shocking

Hungary is “shocked by statements concerning Western troops to be sent to Ukraine, a possible use of nuclear weapons or even introducing mandatory conscription in Europe,” Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said in Minsk on Wednesday.

At a press conference held jointly with his Belarusian counterpart, Sergei Aleinik, Szijjártó said both countries had to face the “dramatic ramifications” of the war in Ukraine on a daily basis, according to a statement by the foreign ministry.

“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 neighbouring Ukraine,” the ministry quoted Szijjártó as saying. 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 firmly protest against introducing mandatory conscription in Europe,” he said. “The road to peace starts with a ceasefire with peace talks to follow,” he said, and asked Belarus to “do everything to ensure that the war, suffering, and senseless killing end in Ukraine and we all can again live in peace in the region,” he said.

Connectivity and international cooperation are Hungary’s aims

The re-emergence of blocs in the world poses a “serious long-term risk” he said, adding that it went against Hungary’s interests. “We want the world to make steps towards connectivity and international cooperation … we think that we need as few sanctions as possible and as much cooperation as possible,” he added.

The Hungarian government wants to develop its cooperation with Belarus in all areas that are not affected by the EU’s sanctions against Russia, he said, adding that Belarus was also ready to cooperate. He also noted that he was accompanied by representatives of 24 Hungarian companies on his visit, and added that the delegation was set to have 92 bilateral talks while in Minsk.

Last year Hungarian companies exported nearly 10 million hatching eggs to Belarus, followed by several hundreds of thousands of baby chicken this year, Szijjártó said. He also noted two Hungarian companies being among the 20 companies with the largest pharmaceutical market share in that country.

Druzhba pipeline important

Szijjártó referred to Belarus as “an extremely important factor” to Hungary’s energy security, noting that 80 percent of Hungary’s crude oil supplies came through Belarus, with a total of 4.5 million tonnes last year and nearly 2 million tonnes delivered already since the beginning of 2024.