The ongoing crisis between Russia and the West could have been avoided if NATO and the US had engaged in serious discussions on Moscow’s security guarantee demands, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. In December 2021, two months before Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine, it submitted a list of security proposals to NATO and the US, requesting that the alliance withdraw its military infrastructure to the 1997 borders.
The crux of the document was to halt NATO’s expansion, especially regarding Ukraine, which has long sought membership in the bloc. However, the alliance rejected the proposal, citing its “open-door policy” for new members. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that one of the main reasons for the conflict is the potential threat of Kiev joining NATO.
In a recent interview with RIA Novosti, Szijjarto suggested that the terms proposed by Russia could have served as a basis for averting the crisis in Ukraine. I remember those times. I think what was missing there was a serious discussion. I do believe that if someone has an issue. then it should be discussed. And these discussions have not taken place, unfortunately,” the diplomat stated.
Szijjarto acknowledged that any speculation on what might have happened is now irrelevant but emphasized his wish “that those dialogues had taken place. Because if they had taken place, we might not be in the situation we are right now.
In May, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that Moscow’s proposal on security guarantees was no longer on the table and that the main goal of Russian diplomacy is now “crisis management and the prevention of. a truly large-scale conflict.
Szijjarto, along with other top Hungarian officials, have repeatedly criticized the West’s approach to the Ukraine crisis, calling for both sides to reach a ceasefire and initiate peace talks. He has also condemned Western sanctions against Moscow as ineffective and detrimental to the EU economy.
Russia has never ruled out discussions on Ukraine, with Putin stating in June that Moscow would immediately agree to a ceasefire and start peace talks if Kiev were to withdraw troops from the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye Regions and commit to neutrality. Later, he said that any engagement was out of the question as long as Ukrainian troops occupy part of Russia’s Kursk Region.