UNITED NATIONS, July 17. /TASS/. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto criticized European Union’s attempts to prohibit his country from engaging in contacts with Moscow in order to settle the conflict in Ukraine, and said his country rejects such policies.

"Not only is this unacceptable, but It’s also a scandal when, in the 21st century, a country is stigmatized only for favoring a negotiated solution and using its communication channels with the parties, who disagree on key issues," he told a discussion at the UN Security Council, commenting on latest criticism of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his peace-oriented efforts with regard to Ukraine.

During his 10-day peacemaking mission, the Hungarian premier held talks with Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev on July 2, and three days later met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Then he visited Beijing for a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and went to Washington where he talked with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a NATO summit. Later, he traveled to Florida for a meeting with ex-US President Donald Trump with whom he also discussed the ways of settling the Ukrainian crisis.

His visits to Moscow and Beijing triggered open criticism in Brussels, where European leaders said that although the country holds the rotating presidency in the Council of the European Union, they gave Hungary no powers to negotiate on the part of the entire European community.

The Hungarian government replied that Orban represented his own country during these visits, and his peace mission will continue despite criticism.