Western double standards?

NATO summit ends with Hungarian outburst of anger

Hungary is becoming increasingly isolated on the international stage.

(Bild: AFP/Ludovic MARIN)

The NATO summit in Washington has apparently ended with a Hungarian announcement. At the end of the alliance summit in Washington, Hungary's government accused its NATO partners of double standards and failure in dealing with the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. 

"We will continue to advocate dialog and diplomatic channels, as the current strategy of the last two and a half years has been a total failure," said Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj, according to a spokesman.

Szijjarto was there to represent Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who had left the summit early to meet former US President Donald Trump in Florida.

Hungary is becoming increasingly isolated on the international stage.

(Bild: AFP/Ludovic MARIN)

Hungary mixes Ukraine with the Middle East
Specifically, Szijjarto criticized that it was inconsistent for NATO to reject dialogue with Russia while Israel was being urged to negotiate with Hamas.

"They want Israel to negotiate with a terrorist organization in order to solve a security crisis, while the diplomatic channels for the Ukraine war are closed," he said.

Budapest raises the issue of secret negotiations
Szijjarto also criticized as inconsistent the pressure being exerted on EU countries such as Hungary to end nuclear cooperation with Russia, while trade between the USA and Russia, particularly in the uranium sector, is increasing. He also raised the question of whether there might be secret negotiations.

What Hungary's chief diplomat skipped over was the fact that the import of Russian uranium will be banned in the USA from August 11. "Our country's clean energy future will not depend on Russian imports," said US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm back in May.

Peter Szijjarto in conversation with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg

(Bild: AFP/Peter David Josek)

Regarding Ukraine's desire to join NATO, Szijjarto said that from Hungary's point of view, NATO membership for Ukraine could weaken the alliance. It was therefore important to examine membership carefully.

Budapest stands alone
Meeting participants said after the summit that Hungary had been isolated in the discussion. Several allies had also made it clear that they did not agree with the statements made by the Hungarian Foreign Minister.

Orbán's trip to Trump had already caused discussion at the summit before his foreign minister's speech. Like Orbán, the former US president, who is now running again in the presidential election after being voted out of office four years ago, is considered open to negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After a meeting in March, Orbán described Trump as the "president of peace", while the American praised the Hungarian as the "best leader" ever.

Globetrotter Orbán
Before his trip to the USA, Orbán had visited Ukraine, Russia and then China as part of what he described as a "peace mission".

Orbán shook Putin's hand in Moscow.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/Valeriy Sharifulin)

This caused a stir in Brussels in particular, as Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council and the Kremlin exploited the visit to Moscow for its propaganda.