Mike Pompeo says US was too often absent from Central Europe, and rivals have filled the vacuums
Mircea OlteanuThe United States were too often absent from Central Europe and “rivals” have filled those vacuums, stated Mike Pompeo, the American State Secretary, who is visiting Budapest, adding that allied western countries should not allow Russia drive a wedge between friends and NATO
“The United States were too often, in the recent past, absent from Central Europe. Our rivals have filled those vacuums”, stated the American official in a common press conference with his Hungarian homologue, Peter Szijjarto, says news agency Dpa.
Mike Pompeo’s visit to Budapest takes place after the relations between these two NATO member states have been distant, due to prime-minister’s Viktor Orban tied relations with Russia and China.
I had a very good meeting with FM Szijjártó. We discussed many issues, including energy diversification, defense cooperation, @NATO, #Ukraine, trade relations, and democratic values. Thank you for hosting me. pic.twitter.com/vrXwyeFvUy
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 11, 2019
Hungary, together with US and the other EU countries have imposed sanctions to Russia, after Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, but it is often criticizing the usage of these sanctions and has opposed to other supplementary measures.
Pompeo has warned that the western allied states should not allow the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, “drive a wedge between friends and NATO”.
Moreover, the American official has warned about the economic relations with China, which is investing a lot in Central and East Europe, and “often they came with obligations”, creating economic and political debts.
On the other hand, the Foreign Minister from Budapest, Peter Szijjarto, stated that “our relations with Russia do not question” Hungary being US’s trustable partner.
Pompeo also stated that the allied states could be forced to choose between the Chinese company Huawei and the United States.
The United States is worried that the Chinese government could access American telecommunications equipment connected to systems where Huawei is also present.
