Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó says that according to the European Union, the war in Ukraine could last as long as another four years, with the statement sparking a diplomatic debate between Budapest and Slovakia, according to a report from news and opinion portal Mandiner.
“The European Union thinks that there will be war in Ukraine for another four years. How many people will die in four years? How many Hungarians will die in four years? And how much more devastation will be created in four years that someone will then have to repair?” wrote Szijjártó on Twitter.
Reacting to the statement from Hungary’s foreign minister, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Wlachovský tweeted: “Dear Péter, please do not tell what other people think before you ask them. EU consists of 27 countries. I don’t recall any debate when we said the war will continue for 4 years. War can stop tomorrow. EU is not a problem, Russia is a problem. Russians, go home! Let there be peace! 1956.”
Wlachovsky’s reference to 1956 refers to the year of the anti-Soviet uprising in Hungary.
Tamás Menczer, state secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, reacted to the Slovakian minister’s comments in a Facebook post. According to Menczer, “Minister Wlachovsky either has a bad short-term memory — and this is a benign assumption — or he is lying.”
He then recalled that EU foreign ministers at their last meeting discussed a proposal to spend €5 billion a year for the next four years to finance arms shipments to Ukraine.
“The Slovak foreign minister did not oppose the proposal,” the state secretary said.
Finally, Menczer asked: “If there will be no war in the next four years, why should there be financing for arms supplies?”
“The Hungarian position is unchanged: We want an immediate ceasefire and peace,” Menczer said.
