Nemeth: Supporting peace efforts key

Speaking to MTI after a closed-door committee meeting with national security officials, Nemeth said the conflict could escalate in the coming days, making it more difficult to achieve peace. This was why, he added, it was crucial to push for peace talks.

Nemeth welcomed reports that Russian and Ukrainian delegates were set to hold a second round of talks on Wednesday.

Noting the unified stance taken by the international community on the war, Nemeth said it would be important for Hungary to achieve a national consensus on the issue given that it was in the middle of an election campaign. “This won’t depend on Fidesz-Christian Democrats alone,” he said.

Nemeth said Europe and the European Union should have taken the Russia-Ukraine conflict “far more seriously”. The war has set off a major global shift in international politics, he said. He welcomed the united stance taken by Europe and the international community, underlining the importance of “preserving this unity in the Visegrad Group, particularly Polish-Hungarian relations in the coming period”.

The Fidesz politician also stressed the need for Hungary to keep an eye on western Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region whose large ethnic Hungarian population was faced with a large wave of internal refugees. The humanitarian problems in the region will therefore require special attention in the coming period, Nemeth said.

Hungary has taken in more than 100,000 refugees from Ukraine so far, he said, emphasising that the country must continue to handle the challenge with humanity.