2024-07-29 14:52 update: 2024-07-29, 14:58
Péter Szijjártó. Photo EPA/Lajos Soos
Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian foreign minister, has lashed out at the Polish government for what he called hypocrisy when it comes to doing business with Russia.
"While the current Polish Government criticises and accuses us of importing oil from Russia, which is essential for the country's operation, if we look carefully at the list of customers of one of the largest Russian oil refineries, we find Poles on it," Szijjarto wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
His comment came in reaction to criticism of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's policy voiced by Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski earlier on Sunday.
"We do not do business with Russia, unlike Prime Minister Orban, who is on the margins of international society - both in the European Union and NATO," Bartoszewski said.
The diplomatic spat started after Orban criticised Poland at a rally in Tusnad, Romania, a region of Romania with a large ethnic Hungarian population, on Saturday.
During his speech he condemned what he called wrong policies of the European Union, the whole West and the Polish government towards Russia.
"Poles are conducting hypocritical policies. They criticise us for our relations with the Russians, and they themselves conduct business with Russia through intermediaries. I have never seen such hypocrisy on the part of the state," Radio Europa Libera Romania quoted Orban as saying.
Relations between the populist government of Fidesz in Hungary and the former nationalist-leaning Law and Justice government in Poland used to be strong until the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which caused a rift in the ties. Hungary has remained the least critical EU member state towards Russia's aggression, while Poland has proven to be a staunch ally of Ukraine and a vocal critic of Russia.
Relations between Warsaw and Budapest chilled even further after Poland's new pro-EU government led by Donald Tusk took office in December 2023. (PAP)
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