"We must work to remove obstacles in the way of peace," President Katalin Novák told the 5th Paris Peace Forum on Friday.
In her address, President Novák noted that Hungary had firmly condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine from the beginning, and said this position had not changed. The president said that the longer the war drags on, the harder it will be to achieve peace, while greater destruction and suffering lead to an escalation of the war. She pointed to a lack of “genuine will” for a ceasefire and peace talks, as the warring sides do not acknowledge that fighting will not bring peace any closer. She regretted that there was “no sufficient and firm intent to mediate between the parties” while “disinformation hinders agreement and causes serious damage”. She said deliberate provocations were delaying a solution, and “Russian President Putin is talking about territorial claims laid by European states in an effort to create confrontation between countries”. President Novák warned of an impending nuclear threat, adding that threats of compromising energy and food supplies were “unfair”. She also said there was no shared “strategic thinking”, adding that inciting ethnic tensions and attacks against minorities were “but deepening wounds and hindering understanding”.