BUDAPEST, July 18. /TASS/. The UN must become a place to discuss ways to achieve peace instead of ways to carry out hostilities in Ukraine, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who is currently in New York to attend UN General Assembly and Security Council events, said Tuesday.
Later, he will speak at the General Assembly in order to remind the attendees that the UN must be a "platform of peace."
"The numerous statements of representatives of the trans-Atlantic world made yesterday clearly point towards the continuation of the war and are clearly connected to the danger of its further escalation," the foreign minister said in an interview for the M1 TV channel.
The UN Security Council meeting that took place on July 17 indicated that the West still adheres to belligerent sentiments.
"The goal remains clear. It is necessary to intensify the activity of the peace camp and to make it clear that the vast majority of people want peace," Szijjarto said.
He assured that, regardless of criticism and attacks, Hungary will continue to defend the path of peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
"We have many allies on this issue, because the global community wants peace," the minister said, adding that, in order to achieve peace, it is necessary to first achieve a ceasefire and beginning of negotiations.
Szijjarto also dismissed the outbursts made by his Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn, who previously accused him of undermining solidarity in the EU.
Saying that "criticizing Hungarians is Jean Asselborn’s favourite pastime," he pointed out the aid provided to Ukrainian refugees and the killed ethnic Hungarians from the Trans-Carpathian Region.
"We, Hungary, have received over one million refugees from Ukraine. I do not know for sure how many of them are in Luxembourg, but, likely, not even close to that," the minister said.