Encounter at Washington's Tip - At the end, an uproar: Hungary causes a commotion at Nato summit
The Hungarian government has accused NATO partners of hypocrisy and failure in dealing with Russia's aggression war against Ukraine during the NATO leaders' summit in Washington. "We will continue to advocate for dialogue and diplomatic channels, as the current strategy of the past two and a half years has been a total failure," said Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, representing Prime Minister Viktor Orban who had left the summit early to meet former US President Donald Trump in Florida.
Concretely, Szijjarto criticized that it is inconsistent for NATO to reject dialogue with Russia while Israel is being pressured to negotiate with Hamas.
"They want to negotiate with a terrorist organization to solve a security crisis, while diplomatic channels for the Ukraine conflict are closed," he said.
Suspicion of secret negotiations
Furthermore, Szijjarto criticized that pressure is being exerted on EU countries like Hungary to end nuclear cooperation with Russia, while US-Russia trade, particularly in the uranium sector, is increasing. He also raised the question of whether there might be secret negotiations.
Regarding Ukraine's NATO membership bid, Szijjarto said that a NATO membership for Ukraine could weaken the alliance from a Hungarian perspective. It is therefore important to examine the membership carefully.
Isolation at the summit
Participants in the meeting expressed that Hungary was isolated in the discussion. Several allies also made it clear that they were not in agreement with the statements of the Hungarian Foreign Minister.
Orban's visit to Trump had already caused discussions at the summit before Szijjarto's speech. The former US President, who is now running for re-election after his resignation four years ago, is known to be open for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After a meeting in March, Orban called Trump the "President of Peace" and Trump praised Orban as the "best leader" ever.
Orban published a photo of the meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on his X site and wrote: "Peace Mission 5.0 ... We discussed ways to peace. The good news of the day: He will solve it!"
Scholz receives question about Orban
Orban's peace missions had taken him to the USA, Ukraine, Russia, and China.
Above all, this caused agitation in Brussels, as Hungary currently also holds the rotating EU Council Presidency and the Kremlin used Orban's Moscow visit for its propaganda.
However, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed calls for consequences such as an early end to the Hungarian Council Presidency. "Such considerations do not exist," he said to the press after the summit.
NATO website about the summit
- At the NATO Summit in Washington, Peter Szijjarto, representing Viktor Orban, criticized NATO partners for their approach towards Russia's aggression war against Ukraine.
- Szijjarto suggested that it's inconsistent for NATO to push for dialogue with Israel and Hamas, while refusing to negotiate for Ukraine.
- He raised concerns about secret negotiations being conducted, especially with regards to EU countries' nuclear cooperation with Russia versus US-Russia trade in the uranium sector.
- Szijjarto questioned if Hungary is being pressured to end nuclear cooperation with Russia while the US continues to trade with Russia.
- The Hungarian Foreign Minister also expressed concerns that a NATO membership for Ukraine could weaken the alliance from Hungary's perspective.
- Participants at the summit expressed that Hungary was isolated in the discussion, with several allies disagreeing with Szijjarto's statements.
- Orban's visit to Donald Trump in Florida during the summit caused discussions, as Trump is known to be open to negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Orban called Trump the "President of Peace" and praised him as the "best leader" after their meeting in March.
- Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed calls for consequences over Orban's peace missions and visit to Putin, stating that such considerations do not exist.
- The NATO Summit in Washington also discusses conflicts in the United States of America's relationships with its NATO partners, such as those with Russia and Ukraine.
- The NATO Partners must address these issues and work towards finding a solution that benefits all members, upholding the values of diplomacy and dialogue in resolving conflicts.
