Speaking at a sideline interview at the Russian Energy Forum in Moscow on October 15 about Hungary's stance on the possibility of the US transferring Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Mr. Szijjarto said:
We are grateful for US President Donald Trumps efforts to promote peace between Russia and Ukraine. If we compare it with the previous administration of Mr. Joe Biden, it is clear that President Trump has done a lot to bring peace to the region.
According to Mr. Szijjarto, "there has been some positive progress" after the summit between Mr. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in mid-August. I hope the negotiations will continue, rather than posing further risks of escalation, he added.
As a neighbor of Ukraine, for us, any information that poses a potential risk of escalation is bad news, the Hungarian Foreign Minister stressed when talking about the possibility of Kiev receiving Tomahawk from Washington.
The US Tomahawk cruise missile has a maximum range of 2,500km, enough for Ukraine to attack Moscow and many other cities deep in Russian territory.
Earlier this week, President Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would likely continue to offer him long-range weapons at a meeting at the White House on October 17.
He wants weapons, specifically Tomahawk. Everyone wants Tomahawk. And we have a lot, President Trump said, without providing any further details about the transition possibility.
For his part, President Putin warned that transferring Tomahawk to Kiev would mark "a new escalation phase" in the conflict. It is impossible to use Tomahawk without the direct participation of US military personnel, he said.
The Russian leader stressed that the supply of this type of missile would not change the conflict situation, but would destroy all recent diplomatic developments between Moscow and Washington.
