President Novak in Davos: Preventing escalation of Ukraine war ‘vitally important’

Answering a question by the chair of the panel entitled Defending Europe’s United Front, Novak argued in favour of the EU continuing to help Ukraine in order to prevent Russia from winning the war, and she said Hungary continued to support this aim.

Novak noted that neither NATO nor the EU were military participants in the war, and, she added, this must remain the case. “We mustn’t get involved militarily in the conflict,” she said, adding that it was vitally important to preserve peace and security.

Asked about Ukraine’s chances of winning the war and whether Ukraine’s victory was key to maintaining Europe’s security, Novak said: “Russia cannot win”.

Novak said Russia’s aggression must be condemned and it must be stated clearly which side was the aggressor and which one was being attacked. “It is clear that Russia has crossed the Rubicon,” she said.

Russia’s aggression had a direct impact on Hungary due to its geographic location and in light of the ethnic Hungarian community living in western Ukraine, Novak said. “War and aggression cannot be a solution,” she said. Hungary has signed up to the peace plan put forward by Ukraine, she noted, adding that work must be done to establish peace.