Hungary has taken a solitary position in the conflict in Ukraine. It has demanded peace, as every other European power does. This is why Peter Szijjarto (Hungarian foreign minister) was so sought-after at the U.N. this past week. We sat down to interview him.
Szijjarto stated that “our position is clear: We should end the suffering of people: first with ceasefire, then peace negotiations.” “Of course we stand with Ukraine. We condemn this war. We support territorial integrity, sovereignty… but we must stop this regional war from becoming a global one.”
Viktor Orban is the leader of Hungary’s government. He is used to being alone. It was strongly condemned by the European Union’s other members for refusing to accept migrants in 2015. Laurent Fabius (the French foreign minister) accused Hungary of failing “respect Europe’s common values.” Orban’s policies were in sharp contrast to Angela Merkel’s, who welcomed migrants with the statement, “We can accomplish this!”
Eight years later, the politics surrounding migration have fundamentally changed. Other European countries are quietly copying Hungary’s policies, but not because they elected “far-right”, but because the mainstream parties have quietly adopted anti-migration actions.
Is Hungary going to be vindicated in Ukraine, as it was for the migrant crisis? It is likely that Europe will find the cost of war too high to bear if it does.
Gen. Mark Milley, a general, estimated that over 40,000 civilians were killed and more than 100,000 soldiers had been killed in November. Over 8 million people have fled Ukraine, including into Hungary. Szijjarto stated that more than one million refugees have been received. We offer them free education, free healthcare and incentives for companies to hire refugees.”
The costs of war are felt far from the frontlines. The combination of Russian natural resources with European technology has been the foundation of Europe’s economic success. The connection between them has been broken by the imposition and outbreak of war. As Szijjarto pointed out, this means that the long-term foundation of European economic growth has been broken.
The number of sanctions against Russia has exploded. Germany’s household energy costs are 23% higher than last year despite offset policies. The 20 percent increase in food prices is also a result. Hungary was particularly affected. Szijjarto describes the dire situation as follows: “In 2021, the year prior to the war and the sanctions, we had 7 billion euros to import energy. We had to pay 17 million euros in 2022, the year after the war broke out and sanctions were imposed. The inflation rate jumped to 25%. It was lower than 5 percent before that.
Parts that would have been expected to support peace have turned out to be strongly pro-war. The Green Party of Germany, a junior member of the current government, was once known for its antimilitarist stance. In September 2021, the Green Party’s leader Annalena Baerbock fought against “the exporting of weapons and other armaments into conflict zones.” However, Baerbock, along with her party has changed course. As Germany’s foreign minister she is more pro-war than Olaf Scholz, her country’s chancellor.
This is perhaps not surprising. Because the Green Party is hostile to fossil fuels, it can see one of the down sides of war, rising energy prices as a benefit. Its fervent commitment towards progressivism encourages it to see the war ideologically, as a fight for progress against the forces that promote bigotry.
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Orban views things differently. Orban stated that the war in Ukraine was not a conflict between armies of good or evil but between troops from two Slavic nations: a war limited to time and–for now–in time. This is contrary to the dominant narratives of Russia and the West. Putin presented his invasion of Ukraine as a holy struggle against an inhuman foe. Both leaders in Europe and the United States presented their cause to be a crusade against democracy. Both sides have reminisced about World War II and insist that they are fighting fascism. Orban believes that the stakes are slightly lower.
Szijjarto does not expect credit if Europe comes around to the Hungarian position. It is possible that the European policies of the future will be closer to the current position. Politics is not a career that can be earned through credits. No one is denying that everyone does the same thing we did on migration since 2015, even though it’s obvious. Nobody says, “Sorry we judged you in 2015.” “You were correct.” This sentence is not one you would ever hear.
But Hungary is not the only country. Pope Francis called for peace on February 22nd. “I appeal to all those in authority over countries to make concrete efforts towards ending the conflict, to reach ceasefire and to begin peace negotiations.” Some have criticized Pope Francis’s statements regarding the war. Hungarians share his support for peace negotiations, as Szijjarto points out: “Pope Francis spoke very clearly regarding the necessity of peace and this is exactly what we position.”
