US Ambassador: 'Hungary's policy of standing alone to block high level meetings of NATO-Ukraine Committee untenable'

“It is cynical to call for a ceasefire when it is not your country that is almost 20 percent occupied by a foreign invading army.”

– David Pressman, the US Ambassador in Budapest, said, among other things, at a panel discussion on Hungarian-Ukrainian relations held at the US Embassy in Budapest on Wednesday.

In his opening remarks, Pressman stressed that the United States wants the Russian-Ukrainian war to end as soon as possible and for there to be peace. “When we hear politicians advocate for appeasement masquerading as peace, let’s be very clear: one man can make peace today. If Putin stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends,” the ambassador said.

Pressman said it was not credible to suggest that if only there was a ceasefire, Vladmir Putin would come to the negotiating table in good faith and agree to withdraw his troops. “The United States wants peace, one that is just and lasting. And that is precisely why we are standing shoulder to shoulder with the victims, with Ukraine.” the ambassador added.

Pressman also said that contrary to what the Hungarian government claims, standing with Ukraine – and encouraging other countries to do the same – is not an effort to “drag Hungary into war.”

“There is so much disinformation out there about Ukraine – lots of which comes straight from the Kremlin – portraying it as nothing more than a basket case, as irretrievably corrupt, or as filled with far-right extremists. The reality is that, like many democracies, Ukraine struggles with many issues. But Ukraine is also a vibrant society where a generation of inspiring activists are working to address those challenges, to continue making progress on the path toward Europe” – Pressman said.

The ambassador said he had heard repeated concerns from senior Hungarian officials about the treatment of Hungarians in Ukraine. “We take these concerns very seriously. (...) We are prepared to work with you to address this. Tell us how we can help resolve this issue of contention between our ally Hungary and our close partner Ukraine. If this is a serious issue, we should address it seriously and make an effort to solve it. If there is genuine political will to solve it, make no mistake, it can be solved,” Pressman said, adding that the United States is troubled by Hungarian officials are using the NATO alliance as a tool to address these bilateral concerns.

“Hungary’s policy of standing alone in an effort to block high-level meetings of the NATO-Ukraine Commission is untenable, and as was seen just last month, will no longer be accepted.”

– the US Ambassador said.

David Pressman's relationship with the Hungarian government has been a stormy one from the start. The underlying tone was set even before his appointment, with Pressman stating at his Senate hearing that "democracy is declining in Hungary and Russian influence over the Hungarian government must be confronted", as well as citing Chinese influence as a worrying trend. Pressman – and through him the White House – has repeatedly made clear that the Hungarian government's duplicitous attitude to the Russian aggression is unacceptable.