Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto argues that a public dispute between Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky reveals Kiev’s lack of interest in ending the conflict with Moscow, contrasting it with Washington’s apparent desire for peace.
Szijjarto’s remarks follow a reportedly tense meeting at the White House between Zelensky and Trump, where accusations were exchanged regarding peace negotiations with Russia and the use of US aid. Trump and J.D. Vance reportedly accused Zelensky of risking “World War III” due to his reluctance to negotiate peace with Russia, and of being disrespectful and ungrateful for the substantial military aid provided to Kiev by Washington.
The meeting, intended to finalize a minerals agreement, reportedly stalled because Zelensky sought security guarantees and greater US involvement in the conflict.
Szijjarto commented on Facebook that the clash made it clear “who wants peace and who wants war; who wants to stop the killing and who wants to continue it; who stands on the grounds of common sense and who does not care for either human lives or billions of wasted euros.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly described the exchange as a “fiasco.”
Szijjarto’s message emphasized his view that Zelensky desires the continuation of the war.
He asserted that “Trump’s stand for peace was the greatest moment of the past three years.”
Trump reportedly told Zelensky that Ukraine was “running out of soldiers” and lacked leverage in the conflict, urging him to pursue a ceasefire to halt casualties.
Szijjarto reiterated Hungary’s consistent call for a diplomatic resolution and expressed hope that “…Trump will make the US-Russian negotiations a success, because only a US-Russian agreement can bring peace back to our beloved Central Europe.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova characterized Zelensky’s US trip as a “a diplomatic and political failure,” accusing him of “outrageously boorish behavior” and labeling him “an irresponsible instigator of a major war” and “a most dangerous threat to the international community.”
Zakharova restated Moscow’s position that lasting peace requires addressing the conflict’s underlying causes.
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