The US ambassador harshly attacked the Hungarian government
The US ambassador to Budapest has attacked the Hungarian government, criticising Fidesz’s pro-Russia stance.
US ambassador’s criticism
On Wednesday, 7 June, a reception was held to celebrate the US-Hungarian scientific cooperation and to celebrate the Space Treaty between the two countries. The event included a speech by the US Ambassador to Budapest.
“I must begin tonight by mentioning the catastrophic events unfolding in Ukraine as the people of that country continue to struggle with Russia’s war against a country with which Hungary stubbornly maintains and even strengthens its ‘interconnectedness’,” the Ambassador said.
The ambassador then explained that while Hungary is making friends with Moscow, tens of thousands of people are forced to leave their homes in Ukraine because the Russians have destroyed the reservoir in Nova Kahovka.
“A few things are clear: Russia started this war, Russia was the one who occupied this territory of Ukraine, and the dam was under the control of Russia,” portfolio.hu quotes the ambassador as saying.
“Worlds separate us from the Hungarian government”
David Pressman then turned to space exploration. “At this desperate moment, when it may seem that worlds separate us from the Hungarian government, there is another space where the United States and Hungary are making significant progress together”.
Pressman has previously criticised the Hungarian government. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán jokingly used the ambassador’s name to say that Pressman wanted to put pressure on the Hungarian government’s policies, index.hu quoted him as saying.
Pressman also pointed out in his speech that the scientific importance of the Earth Observation programme is growing. Weather forecasting, crop forecasting, natural resource management and natural disasters are of paramount importance. “According to a recent study, Hungary lost 3 percent of its GDP last year due to crop failure caused by extreme droughts. The agricultural systems of the Carpathian Basin and the Balkans are among the most vulnerable to climate change in Europe as a whole,” said Pressman.
Source: