- Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said EU leaders have a “very poor” record
The European Union has lost “a lot of common sense” since Britain left, and its exit from Brexit was a huge loss for supporters of national sovereignty in the bloc, Hungary’s foreign minister has said.
Peter Szijjarto used a speech in London yesterday to attack what he called a federalist push for a “United States of Europe”, arguing in favor of maintaining “national competences”.
He said his country, led by pro-Putin Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is on the same side as the UK in EU discussions on issues including sovereignty and migration.
Szijjarto harshly criticized EU leaders, including commissioners and President Ursula von der Leyen, saying they have a “very poor” record and should resign after crucial parliamentary elections next month.
“Europe is in a worse situation than when this European administration came into force in 2019,” Szijjarto said, adding that his government would therefore “not like any of these senior officials to continue in their positions after the elections.” . .’
The Hungarian Foreign Minister met his British counterpart, Lord Cameron, yesterday during his visit to London.
Speaking at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, or Chatham House, Szijjarto told the audience that Budapest “really really regretted Brexit.”
‘Not because of your internal problems because we respect it. But because when the United Kingdom left the European Union, a lot of common sense also left the European Union,” he explained.
Hungary’s right-wing prime minister has praised Britain’s decision to leave the EU in the past, describing it as a “brave” call that demonstrated the country’s “greatness.”
But, Orban said in the 2020 interview, Hungary was not an island and was too economically integrated with the EU to follow Britain.
His government recently resisted joining the bloc in negotiations over coronavirus vaccines, which Szijjarto said yesterday showed how national governments were more effective than Brussels.
The Foreign Secretary met his British counterpart, Lord Cameron, during his visit to London.
At the meeting he is said to have regretted the UK’s departure from the EU, stating that the debate is now unbalanced between sovereignists and federalists.
Peter Szijjarto used a speech in London yesterday to attack what he called a federalist push for a “United States of Europe.”
His comments come ahead of a crucial election, in which Eurosceptic parties across the continent are expected to do well.
The two also discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine, on which they disagreed: Hungary called for a ceasefire and peace talks between kyiv and Moscow, while the United Kingdom believes Ukraine should prevail.
Budapest has consistently opposed arms deliveries to Ukraine and sanctions on Moscow, which Szijjarto said had failed to stop the war.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest, Hungary, on May 8, 2024.
In a warning to Western countries supporting Kiev yesterday, he said: “If you think about defeating Russia, then the only way to win the war is to escalate and risk a global world war.”
Szijjarto also said Hungary was “crossing its fingers” that Donald Trump would win the US presidential election later this year.
This despite the former president’s calls to drastically cut funding for NATO, of which Hungary is a member.
The foreign minister also defended his country’s ties with China ahead of President Xi’s visit to Budapest.
