U.S. ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, known for his outspoken attacks against Hungary’s conservative government, claimed that Hungary is aligning with Russia.
“Hungary is stubbornly maintaining and even further strengthening its ties with Russia. (…) It is wrong to continue to rely on Russia while it tries to decapitate its democratic neighbor Ukraine,” among other things, Pressman said at a reception on Wednesday evening in honor of US-Hungarian scientific cooperation, news portal Telex reports.
“A few things are clear: Russia started this war, Russia was the one who invaded this area of Ukraine, and the dam was under Russia’s control,” said the ambassador, who added that “while Hungary is increasingly close to Moscow, the massive surge of water released by the destruction of the Nova Kahovka reservoir dam has forced tens of thousands of people to displace in and around Khershon.”
Russia contends that Ukraine blew the dam, with many commentators noting that the dam deprives Russian-controlled Crimea of vital water, with perhaps the most notable critic being Tucker Carlson, who discussed the issue in the first episode of his new Twitter show, which has garnered nearly 100 million views.
As Remix News previously reported in a video short, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that the U.S. is trying to push Hungary into war with Russia.
“The United States has not given up its plan to squeeze everyone, including Hungary, into a war alliance, to go with the crowd. But I have made it clear several times, Hungarian diplomacy has also expressed this, that the will of the Hungarian people is clear, and our historical knowledge is quite stable, so we will not allow it. Whatever path our friends may choose, we will not allow them to squeeze us into a war. We will not carry weapons, and we will not be involved in a conflict that is not our war,” said Orbán.
Orbán specifically referenced Pressman and the challenge his ambassadorship presents Hungary, at least in some areas, stating: “In America, the ambassadors are typically politically appointed, and we have to acknowledge that there is an ambassador close to the Democratic Party, and we cannot interfere with that, and they send whoever they want, and we have to acknowledge that the U.S. Ambassador represents the United States’ views in Hungary.”
Pressman also stated on Wednesday that “while the Hungarian and U.S. governments’ positions may seem worlds apart at the moment, the U.S. and Hungary are making significant progress together in areas such as space exploration.”
He said the United States is proud of the cooperation between Hungary and the U.S.-based company Axiom Space, which aims to send a Hungarian astronaut to the International Space Station in 2024.
“In this spirit, the United States also invites Hungary to join us and our international partners in signing the Artemis Treaty, which aims to promote the peaceful, civilian use of space, including for the purpose of exploration and discovery, such as Hungary’s mission to the International Space Station.”
As Remix News reported earlier, ever since his appointment last August, Pressman has been a vocal critic of Hungary’s government and has run a number of controversial campaigns to encourage the Hungarian population to be more open to supporting Ukraine in the war.
