Former Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó travelled to Russia 16 times during his final four-year term in office – roughly once every three to four months – while visiting the country more often than Germany, according to detailed Foreign Ministry data obtained by 24.hu.
The figures show that Szijjártó travelled extensively during his 2022–2026 term, visiting 96 sovereign states, or almost half of all UN member countries. He made a total of 342 foreign trips involving 468 destinations. The former minister has since joined Chinese carmaker BYD.
Russia was a more frequent destination than Germany
Szijjártó’s 16 trips to Russia stand out in the data, particularly given the country’s war against Ukraine and Germany’s position as Hungary’s most important economic partner. The Russian trips were spread across his four years in office, meaning Szijjártó travelled to Russia on average every three to four months.
The figure does not include meetings with Russian officials held outside Russia. Szijjártó visited Luxembourg, where EU meetings are frequently held, the same number of times. His 16 trips to Russia, however, exceeded the number of times he travelled to Germany during the period.
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Brussels was his most frequent destination
Belgium was Szijjártó’s most frequently visited country, with 38 trips, mainly to Brussels for EU and NATO-related meetings. The United States was second with 31 visits. Several of these trips included meetings at Donald Trump’s Florida residence.
Neighbouring Serbia ranked third, with Szijjártó travelling there 25 times during his term. Overall, his foreign travel covered 96 countries – equivalent to 49.7% of the world’s 193 UN member states.
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590 days spent abroad
The data also provides insight into just how much time Szijjártó spent travelling. Out of the nearly 1,450 days covered by his previous government’s term, he spent 590 days on foreign trips.
Despite the extensive travel schedule, Szijjártó often spent little time abroad, favouring short visits and returning home quickly. According to the data, he actually spent more nights sleeping on aircraft than in foreign accommodation.
The Foreign Ministry spent a total of HUF 512 million on accommodation for foreign trips during the period, of which HUF 53.9 million was attributed to Szijjártó.
The most expensive trip cost HUF 262 million
The data also reveals substantial differences in the cost of individual trips. Szijjártó’s most expensive foreign trip cost HUF 262 million, with the Foreign Ministry’s previous travel data showing that chartered aircraft accounted for a particularly significant share of spending on his foreign visits.
The latest figures come after 24.hu previously reported on the ministry’s spending on private aircraft for Szijjártó’s foreign travel, including almost HUF 300 million spent on private planes that ultimately did not take off.
If Szijjarto was a Russian agent what would he do differently?
The most interesting trip Szijjarto made was to Minsk on Oct 31, 2024 where he pledged his “mutual respect” to: Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, North Korea’s Choe Son Hoi, Syria’s Bassam al-Sabbagh (soon to be former foreign minister after the mass murdering government was removed). Szijjarto was the worst stinking ball of slime that ever represented Hungary to its eternal shame.