EU 'not prepared' for peace in Ukraine: Hungary’s foreign minister

LONDON

Hungary’s foreign minister said Thursday that several top diplomats of European Union countries openly admitted for the first time that the bloc "is not prepared for peace" in Ukraine.

In an interview with Bloomberg after a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Peter Szijjarto criticized the EU, saying "fanaticism has taken over Brussels."

"At today’s Foreign Affairs Council (meeting), several foreign ministers openly said for the first time that the European Union is not prepared for peace," he said.

Szijjarto added that this was "said out loud" in Brussels.

"It is very dangerous what the European Union is doing regarding the (Ukraine) war. It’s very dangerous that they are sending and spending the money of the European people on the war," he added.

Pursuing a different course from the EU, including on major issues such as Ukraine and migration, the Prime Minister Viktor Orban-led Hungarian government has consistently criticized the bloc’s foreign policy.

Orban on Wednesday sharply criticized Ukraine’s leadership, accusing Kyiv of threatening Budapest while saying he would continue to defend Hungarian interests.

His remarks came after the Hungarian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the Ukrainian ambassador in Budapest, accusing Kyiv of attempting to interfere in Hungary’s elections.

Diplomatic tensions between Kyiv and Budapest escalated again after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made remarks during his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week that were seen as referring to the Hungarian premier.

"Every victor who lives off European money while trying to sell out European interests deserves a smack upside the head," he said.

"And if he feels comfortable in Moscow, it doesn't mean we should let European capitals become little Moscows."