In one of his last actions, David Pressman announced that the US had placed the Minister of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office on a sanctions list.Continue reading
The parts of the annual report on Hungary issued by the United States Trade Representative were dictated by former U.S. Ambassador to Budapest David Pressman, which is how all kinds of fake news and lies were included, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stated in Luxembourg on Monday.
Following an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign trade ministers, Mr. Szijjártó said that several domestic press outlets, which had previously received U.S. funding, had referred to the annual report of the United States Trade Representative. He pointed out that such a report is published every year under a legislation passed in 1974, so to present it as part of a specific presidential decree is “simply a lie.” This report was written during the Biden administration, which viewed Hungary as an enemy, the Foreign Minister stressed. He added that
parts on Hungary contain the opinion of former U.S. Ambassador David Pressman, who during his posting in Budapest, acted as an opposition activist, practically as the leader of the Hungarian opposition.
Péter Szijjártó explained that the comments on the document could be submitted from September 3, 2024 until October 17, 2024, i.e. before the U.S. presidential elections in November. In addition, he said, the document also states that the content of the document was compiled and prepared by the U.S. embassies.
“There is no question that David Pressman and his colleagues produced all kinds of lies, all kinds of bad news and possible fake news about Hungary and pushed them into this document,” he emphasized.
I have already met the new U.S. Secretary of State, the new U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, the new U.S. Charge d’Affaires in Budapest. A completely different atmosphere, a completely different attitude and a fair cooperation based on mutual respect has been established between the two countries, so we will certainly not have to face such false allegations, such unfounded accusations and slander in official documents in the future,”
he concluded.
As Mandiner reported, a narrative swept through the Hungarian opposition media launched by Válasz Online, that Donald Trump’s big tariff package announced on April 2, is partly justified by the “deeply worrying” Hungarian corruption. However, this report is an annual estimate of foreign trade barriers, prepared each year by the United States Trade Representative, based on data from U.S. embassies in each country. Accordingly, the 2025 report, which Donald Trump touted when announcing the tariffs, was made under Joe Biden’s administration, as Szijjártó also pointed out.
Via MTI, Mandiner, Featured photo via Facebook/Szijjártó Péter
