The EU has lacked British common sense since Brexit and Britain’s departure were a huge loss, Hungary says
- Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said EU leaders have a “very poor” record
The European Union has lost “a great deal of common sense” since Britain left, with the Brexit exit representing a huge loss for the bloc’s supporters of national sovereignty, according to Hungary’s foreign minister .
Peter Szijjarto used a speech in London yesterday to attack what he called a federalist drive towards a ‘United States of Europe’, arguing for the retention of ‘national powers’.
He said his country, led by pro-Putin Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is on the same side as Britain in EU discussions on issues such as sovereignty and migration.
Mr Szijjarto slammed EU leaders, including commissioners and President Ursula von der Leyen, saying they have a “very poor” record and should resign after crucial parliamentary elections next month.
“Europe is in a worse state than it was before when this European government came into effect in 2019,” Mr Szijjarto claimed, adding that his government would therefore “not like to see any of these top officials remaining in their positions after the elections.” .’
The Hungarian Foreign Minister met his British counterpart Lord Cameron yesterday for talks during his visit to London
Speaking at the Royal Institute of International Affairs of Chatham House, Mr Szijjarto told the audience that Budapest “really deeply regretted Brexit.”
‘Not because of your internal problems, because we respect that. But because when Britain left the European Union, a large amount of common sense also left the European Union,” he explained.
Hungary’s right-wing prime minister has praised Britain’s past decision to leave the EU, describing it as a “brave” call that showed the country’s “greatness”.
But, Orban said in the 2020 interview, Hungary was not an island and was too closely integrated economically with the EU to follow Britain.
His government recently resisted joining the bloc in coronavirus vaccine negotiations, which Szijjarto said yesterday proved how national governments were more effective than Brussels.
The Foreign Secretary met with his British counterpart Lord Cameron for talks during his visit to London.
During the meeting he is said to have lamented Britain’s departure from the EU, claiming the debate is now unbalanced between sovereigntists and federalists.
Peter Szijjarto used a speech in London yesterday to attack what he called a federalist drive towards a ‘United States of Europe’
His comments come ahead of the crucial elections, in which Eurosceptic parties across the continent are expected to perform well.
The pair also discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine, which they disagreed with – with Hungary calling for a ceasefire and peace talks between Kiev and Moscow, while Britain believes Ukraine should prevail.
Budapest has consistently opposed arms transfers to Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow, which Szijjarto says have failed to stop the war.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping at Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest, Hungary, May 8, 2024
In a warning to Western countries backing Kiev yesterday, he said: “If you are thinking about defeating Russia, the only way to win the war is to escalate and risk a global world war.”
Mr Szijjarto also said Hungary was “crossing its fingers” for Donald Trump to win the US presidential election later this year.
This is despite the former president’s calls to cut funding for NATO, of which Hungary is a member.
The foreign minister also defended his country’s ties with China ahead of President Xi’s visit to Budapest.