Hungary to Newsmax: 'It Was Easier to Deal With Taliban on Afghan Exit Than US Allies'

On the same day that Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto was meeting in Paris with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, government officials from Hungary privately voiced major disappointment about dealings with their American allies during the exit of foreign nationals from Afghanistan.

"It was easier to deal with the Taliban than our U.S. allies," a senior government official in Budapest who requested anonymity told Newsmax Wednesday.

The official recalled how 60 to 70 Hungarian troops had assisted in the evacuation of roughly 500 foreign nationals from Kabul after the Taliban had assumed power. These included Hungarians, Americans, and people from other countries who had to get out of Afghanistan quickly.

Communications between the Hungarians and U.S. officials on the ground in Kabul were described to Newsmax by sources in Budapest as often unclear and incomplete.

The overall attitude in Budapest about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was negative, Newsmax found, and one government official characterized the swift departure of American forces from Kabul as "a stain on the West’s credibility."

"We always looked to the U.S. as a nation of honor," the official said. "What happened?"

Several officials of the conservative government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban agreed that in contrast to the convivial relations between Budapest and Washington, D.C., the relationship between the Biden administration and the Hungarian government was distant and uncertain.

Since Biden accepted the resignation of Ambassador David Cornstein in January, a new U.S. envoy has yet to be named. It was widely expected that the American president will wait for Hungary's elections next April before he decides on a new ambassador.

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.