The ruling Fidesz and Christian Democrat parties submitted to parliament a draft resolution stating Hungary’s commitment to the pursuit of peace in Ukraine, to mark the anniversary of the start of the conflict.
In the draft resolution, lawmakers Máté Kocsis of Fidesz and István Simicskó of the Christian Democrats note that the war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and has resulted in Europe’s biggest humanitarian crisis of recent times. They said the European Parliament’s calls for more weapons deliveries to Ukraine and the commitments made by some member states to send more weapons brought the risk of a world war. The draft resolution calls on the international community to take action in the interest of peace and avoid steps that risk expanding the war. The document condemns Russia’s military aggression and recognises Ukraine’s right to self-defence. It says the economic sanctions approved in Brussels had failed to bring the Russian economy “to its knees”, arguing that by paying the high energy prices that have resulted from the sanctions, Europe was financing Russia’s war. No family is immune to “the burdens of sanctions-fuelled inflation”, the draft resolution adds. The lawmakers expressed opposition to plans in Brussels to broaden the range of energy sanctions, saying that a potential freeze on oil and gas imports and a ban on nuclear fuel imports would disrupt energy supplies and provoke even higher inflation. They said they expect decision-makers in Brussels not to enact measures whose economic costs outweigh their potential benefits. Hungary has been undertaking the largest humanitarian aid operation in its history since the start of the war, the document says, and calls on the government to continue aiding Ukrainian refugees in every way possible. The conflict gravely affects the Transcarpathian Hungarian community, the document says, noting that many of its members have lost their lives to the war and many are still being conscripted into the army. It emphasises Hungary’s commitment to its NATO and EU memberships, saying Hungary will do everything it can to promote peace. According to the draft resolution, the outcomes of the April 2022 general election and the public survey on sanctions made it clear that urgent peace talks were needed instead of arms deliveries and additional sanctions.