Szijjarto’s frequent visits to Russia raise suspicions among European colleagues - Bloomberg
There is one high-ranking official who has been visiting Russia so often since Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine that it has raised suspicion among his fellow European diplomats. This is Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who is visiting Moscow again today.
As Censor.NET informs, Bloomberg reports.
Over the past 11 years, 46-year-old Szijjártó has become the face of Hungary's pro-Russian policy, the publication writes. This has led to frequent clashes between the country and other EU countries.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Szijjarto has visited Russia at least 13 times. The frequency of his visits has surprised some European officials.
"Even the foreign ministers of some of Moscow's closest allies do not travel to Russia with such regularity, while Western allies have cut ties or drastically reduced contacts," the article says.
Another visit to Moscow
On March 26, Szijjarto announced his visit to Russia.
The Russian government said that the Hungarian minister would meet with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
Szijjártó's visit comes a few hours after the United States announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea.
Hungary's pro-Russian policy
"Szijjártó has become the face of Orban's pro-Russian and increasingly anti-Western policies. He likes to irritate other foreign ministers by criticizing the EU's 'extremely pro-war' stance and arms supplies to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion," the newspaper notes.
After March 17 in Brussels, Szijjarto accused his German and Austrian counterparts of "uniting" against him for criticizing the situation in Ukraine with the ethnic Hungarian minority. The Hungarian government uses this claim as a pretext for rapprochement with Russia.
