In Trump They Trust

Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó says the U.S. president is Ukraine's 'only hope' for peace, while warning that EU 'threats' against his country reveal Europe's deeper divides

- TOM O'CONNOR

HUNGARY'S TOP DIPLOMAT TOLD NEWSWEEK that peace in Ukraine and Europe's security depend on a stable U. S.-Russia relationship, vowing that Budapest would not back down to pressure from EU and NATO allies on this issue and others. Speaking in September ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where his counterparts from Washington and Moscow met, Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó told Newsweek his country would “welcome such an event, because we in Central Europe have a very clear historical experience....And this experience says that in case the Americans and the Russians are able to maintain a civilized cooperation, then we in Central Europe enjoy a better security,” Szijjártó said. “If the Americans and the Russians fail to maintain a civilized relationship, then we are concerned about the consequences on our security.”

But as President Donald Trump suddenly took aim at Russia in a remarkable shift—promising ongoing U.S. military aid to NATO's pro-Ukraine war effort and even suggesting Ukraine could take back territory it has lost—Szijjártó maintained only a deal between the U.S. leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin could pave the path toward peace in Ukraine. He argued such rapprochement, for which both Trump and Putin had previously called, could also make strides in stabilizing the region.

“I really do believe that the only solution for this war is a comprehensive American-Russian agreement,” Szijjártó said. “If there’s no Russian-American agreement, I see very limited hope for peace here.”

Yet many in Europe, including Poland, are calling for tougher measures toward the Kremlin and have expressed skepticism toward Trump's diplomatic engagement with Putin—with whom Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has also retained ties.