“All the elements of the EU’s thirteenth package of sanctions against Russia that harm Hungarian interests have been removed, but this package does not bring peace in Ukraine any closer, it is merely a sham measure,” Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Brussels on Monday. The minister noted at a press conference following the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting that the new sanctions are about to be finalized. The only reason for this is so that the community can say that it has done something in the run-up to the second anniversary of the outbreak of war, he added. He stressed that in rec ..read more

Last year’s drought, inflation, misguided Brussels sanctions and the market challenges caused by duty-free Ukrainian produce have created extraordinary circumstances in agriculture, Agriculture Minister István Nagy said in a video statement. In this situation, efforts must be made to use the HUF 600 billion (EUR 1.6 billion) of EU aid, which the Hungarian government will supplement with a further HUF 2,300 billion (EUR 6 billion), to effectively support agriculture and rural development, writes Világgazdaság. The Minister stressed that this funding is sufficient to increase added value, streng ..read more

Hungary is not even willing to discuss the issue of further EU funding for arms shipments to Ukraine until Kiev removes Hungarian bank OTP from the list of international sponsors of the war, and returns the rights of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia (formerly part of Hungary, now Ukraine), Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Toledo. Following an informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers, Péter Szijjártó pointed out that the majority position is to maintain arms supplies to Ukraine, showing that everyone is now expecting a long war. This is also evidenced by the Europea ..read more

The EU’s argument regarding peace in Ukraine that the conditions for negotiations on a settlement of the conflict have not yet been met, is disingenuous and self-defeating, while Hungary continues to call for a ceasefire and peace talks as soon as possible, Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó said at the MCC festival in Esztergom on Saturday. Speaking at a panel discussion on the challenges of Hungary’s foreign policy and foreign trade, the minister stressed that since the invasion of Ukraine more than 500 days ago, Europe has fallen into a war psychosis and the common foreign p ..read more

Hungary will continue to maintain its cooperation with Russia in areas not limited by EU sanctions, as this is in the national interest, especially with regard to energy security, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, emphasized after meeting with Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko. At a joint press conference, Péter Szijjártó said that the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health currently taking place in Hungary provided an opportunity to review the most important issues of cooperation between the two countries. He stressed that Russian partners can continue t ..read more

Despite the unfavorable relationship between the two sides, the government stands up for and helps Budapest in times of need. The best example of this is the latest EU sanctions package, on which the Hungarian government was able to secure an exemption for the capital regarding the M3 metro line, reports Világgazdaság. The economic site reported that the capital’s most important transport line, the recently renovated M3 metro, was in danger of becoming unserviceable. The railway wagons have been completely renewed thanks to the Russian company MWM Rt., but its supply of spare parts has been cu ..read more

Hungary does not see China as a risk factor or a threat, but as a country with which cooperation is beneficial, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Brussels on Thursday, urging the European Union to seek a relationship based on mutual respect rather than rivalry with China. Unlike Hungary, most EU member states see economic cooperation with China as a threat, Szijjártó stated at a news conference after a Foreign Affairs Council meeting. He noted that China’s GDP is now higher than the EU’s. While in 2010, China accounted for 9 percent of global GDP and the EU for 22 percent, China’s share ..read more

An analysis of the economic importance of the Friendship (Druzhba) oil pipeline has been carried out by the Oeconomus Foundation. The topicality of the subject is that according to leaked information, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has threatened to blow up the pipeline in a closed meeting in order to cripple the Hungarian economy. Related article Zelensky's Alleged Idea to Blow up Pipeline Causes Outrage in Hungary "How is it possible that Ukraine is plotting against a NATO country?" State Secretary Zoltán Kovács asks. There have also been reports in recent days that the Preside ..read more

The European Union is dominated by “an atmosphere of war,” with the vast majority of member states in favor of speeding up the delivery of even more weapons to Ukraine, while “pro-peace actors are under serious attack,” the foreign minister said. Several EU member states believe the bloc has still not done enough to support Ukraine, Péter Szijjártó told a news conference during a break in a Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. Those who speak out in favor of peace are facing severe political and verbal attacks, he added. On Ukrainian grain exports, he noted that the govern ..read more

Several cases of toxin and GMO contamination have been detected following testing of grain arriving in Hungary from Ukraine. More than 29 tons of maize have been suspended and destroyed by food chain safety experts, the Agriculture Ministry told Hungarian news agency MTI on Tuesday. Checks were carried out not only on unprocessed grain products but also on wheat flour of Ukrainian origin arriving in Hungary, as they were also suspected of quality defects. Related article Eastern European Countries Ask Brussels for Help with Grain Imports from Ukraine Duty-free Ukrainian agricultural product ..read more