Ukraine pursues policy motivated by the hatred of Hungarians, says Hungarian FM Szijjártó

Ukraine is currently Hungary’s enemy as it is trying to undermine the country’s security operations, energy security and sovereignty, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said on Tuesday, adding that the government would not allow the country’s secure operations to be put at risk.

Hostile actions against Hungary

Szijjártó told the Truth Hour podcast that the “Brussels-Kyiv coalition” was working to bring about a change of government in Hungary “and their candidate is the Tisza Party” because if Tisza came to power they would fulfil their expectations, in contrast to the current sovereign, patriotic leadership.

According to a ministry statement, Szijjártó said Ukraine was constantly pushing through Brussels decisions that were harmful to Hungary, citing the ban on Russian oil and natural gas imports and sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry as examples.

Such steps, he said, were “hostile actions” against Hungary. Meanwhile, Szijjártó said Europe was suffering from war fanaticism, with Brussels currently in the process of preparing its twentieth package of sanctions “and making increasingly wild proposals.“

Ukraine pursues policy motivated by the hatred of Hungarians

“Now they want Rosatom, Gazprom, and Lukoil to be added to the sanctions list, Russian energy companies with which cooperation is critical for Hungary in terms of both our energy security and maintaining low utility costs,” he warned.

Since 2015, Ukraine had been pursuing a “policy motivated by the hatred of Hungarians,” severely restricting the rights of minorities, Szijjártó said. “Unfortunately, it is no exaggeration to say that during the Soviet era, Hungarians in Transcarpathia had more rights in terms of using their mother tongue.”

“And this is the country Brussels wants into the European Union. This is the country the Tisza Party wants to support … they had a survey where the majority of their supporters […] were on Ukraine’s side,” he noted.

Cheap Russian energy sources required

Regarding the government’s utility price cut scheme, Szijjártó said: “Because we buy cheap Russian crude oil and natural gas, utility costs for families in Hungary are lower than in countries where energy sources are more expensive than in Russia.”

He said the Tisza Party wanted to put an end to that state of affairs. “The Tisza Party has now recruited celebrities who have been lobbying for years for us to give up cheap Russian energy sources and buy more expensive ones from Western companies, thereby obviously increasing the revenues of those Western companies and their shareholders, while the Hungarian people pay three times as much for their utility bills,” he said.

If next govt not formed by patriotic side, Ukraine will join EU, PM Orbán says

If the next government is not formed by patriotic forces, Ukraine will be allowed to join the European Union, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Tuesday. In a video posted on Facebook, Orbán was asked about Politico’s claim that in case opposition Tisza leader Peter Magyar becomes prime minister, Ukraine’s accession to the EU would be accelerated.

“That’s what would happen,” Orban responded. He warned that Ukraine’s EU membership would destroy Hungarian agriculture and “the pillars of the Hungarian economy today.” “As for the destruction of Europe, that’s not my problem, but the Europeans’, because if they set fire to the roof over their own heads, that’s their business; we have to deal with Hungary,” he added. He said that Ukraine cannot be allowed to join the EU because it is sharply opposed to Hungary’s interests.

“In short, they call from Brussels, and then the puppet government in Brussels says: jawohl. When they call me, I usually say: nein, danke. That’s the difference,” Orban said.

If you missed our articles concerning the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine:

• Another Hungarian soldier dies fighting Russian invaders in Ukraine
• Ukraine is Hungary’s enemy, says PM Orbán at campaign-style rally

Featured image: Ukrainian President Zelensky. Source: Barış Seçkin/Anadolu News Agency