Hungary states Brussels preparing for ‘long war, not peace’

(MENAFN) Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has accused the European Union of preparing for a prolonged conflict rather than pursuing peace in the Russia-Ukraine war. Speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen, Szijjarto criticized the European Commission for prioritizing Ukraine’s interests over those of its member states, referring to it as the “Ukrainian Commission.”

He stated that most EU members are focusing on supporting a long-term war by committing tens of billions of euros to Ukraine for military salaries, drones, weapons, and government operations. Szijjarto also highlighted pressure to fast-track Ukraine’s EU membership, impose new sanctions on Russian energy, and provide an additional €6 billion ($7 billion) to arm Ukraine.

The Hungarian minister expressed frustration that the EU Commission ignores concerns raised by Hungary and Slovakia regarding energy security and the safety of supply routes threatened by the conflict.

Relations between Kyiv and Budapest have worsened recently, partly due to Ukrainian attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline, vital for transporting Russian and Kazakh crude to Slovakia and Hungary. Hungary has also accused Ukraine of violating the rights of ethnic Hungarians in the Transcarpathia region. Budapest opposes sending weapons to Ukraine and has criticized Brussels’ sanctions on Russia, also resisting Ukraine’s bids to join NATO and the EU.

In contrast, the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to increasing military aid to Ukraine and intensifying pressure on Russia following the ministers’ meeting.

Russia continues to denounce Western military support for Ukraine, viewing it as a NATO proxy war, and has criticized the EU’s militarization and aggressive stance. In July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Western European leaders of preparing Europe for an outright war with Russia rather than a hybrid conflict.

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