Hungarian Foreign Minister Criticizes EU's Leading Diplomat on Ukraine Issues
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has taken issue with Josep Borrell’s statements regarding the employment of Western-supplied arms for attacks deep within Russian territory. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has criticized comments made by the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, regarding the use of Western-supplied weapons for strikes deep within Russian territory. Borrell recently indicated that Ukraine should be permitted to use these weapons for such attacks.
In relation to Ukraine's unexpected incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region at the beginning of August, Borrell offered assurances of the EU's "full support" to Kiev. This month, he also emphasized, “we are not a party to the war, but we are part of the conflict.”
Szijjarto took to Facebook to label the conflict involving Ukraine as “madness” that “must be put to an end.” He expressed concern that an increase in weapon supply and the potential for deep strikes into Russian territory would only heighten the risk of escalation, making the situation even more severe, comments implying criticism of Borrell's recent statements.
Budapest's foreign minister noted that to mitigate these risks, Hungary will “continue to represent the pro-peace position” at the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday.
Zoltan Kovacs, spokesperson for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, also posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, saying that Szijjarto “criticized the European Union’s outgoing High Representative for Foreign Affairs, who is calling for more weapons to be sent to Ukraine and even suggesting that these Western-supplied arms should be used for deep strikes on Russian territory.”
Borrell has previously advocated for lifting restrictions on Kiev’s use of provided weapons, particularly for long-range strikes, asserting that doing so would “help advance peace efforts.”
Last week, Gergely Gulyas, head of the prime minister’s office, described Kiev’s actions on Russian soil as “wrong” and detrimental to any peaceful resolution of the conflict.
In July, Szijjarto had similarly rebuked Borrell over an alleged effort to sabotage Hungary’s initiative to organize an informal foreign affairs summit, labeling the plan as childish and accusing Borrell of overseeing the “most unsuccessful period of European foreign policy” ever.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
In relation to Ukraine's unexpected incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region at the beginning of August, Borrell offered assurances of the EU's "full support" to Kiev. This month, he also emphasized, “we are not a party to the war, but we are part of the conflict.”
Szijjarto took to Facebook to label the conflict involving Ukraine as “madness” that “must be put to an end.” He expressed concern that an increase in weapon supply and the potential for deep strikes into Russian territory would only heighten the risk of escalation, making the situation even more severe, comments implying criticism of Borrell's recent statements.
Budapest's foreign minister noted that to mitigate these risks, Hungary will “continue to represent the pro-peace position” at the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday.
Zoltan Kovacs, spokesperson for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, also posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, saying that Szijjarto “criticized the European Union’s outgoing High Representative for Foreign Affairs, who is calling for more weapons to be sent to Ukraine and even suggesting that these Western-supplied arms should be used for deep strikes on Russian territory.”
Borrell has previously advocated for lifting restrictions on Kiev’s use of provided weapons, particularly for long-range strikes, asserting that doing so would “help advance peace efforts.”
Last week, Gergely Gulyas, head of the prime minister’s office, described Kiev’s actions on Russian soil as “wrong” and detrimental to any peaceful resolution of the conflict.
In July, Szijjarto had similarly rebuked Borrell over an alleged effort to sabotage Hungary’s initiative to organize an informal foreign affairs summit, labeling the plan as childish and accusing Borrell of overseeing the “most unsuccessful period of European foreign policy” ever.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
