Hungarian President Katalin Novak lamented in his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that “war is once again raging on the European continent” as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Stopping the war should be the UN’s “most urgent priority,” she said, but appeared pessimistic about whether diplomatic action would be up to the task.
Nowak expressed her admiration for the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth II, citing her twice in detail. She said the Queen’s life “served peace” and said world leaders “should thank the people and her memory for making our decisions in the same spirit.”
Queen Elizabeth II prepares to welcome Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev at Buckingham Palace on November 4, 2015 in London, England. (Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Nowak noted that she herself is a wife, mother of three children and the first female president of a country that suffered “45 years of communist dictatorship”, so she felt natural that the Queen would disapprove of wars of conquest pity.
“We know that war is evil and that nothing comes of it,” she said.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine is a constant threat and security risk, not only for Ukrainians living in the war zone, but for all of us,” the Hungarian president said.
“Hungary firmly condemns Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which undermines peace in Europe,” she declared.
Valentyna Kondratieva, 75, walks into her damaged home Saturday, August 13, 2022, where she was injured in a Russian rocket attack last night in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. (David Goldman/The Associated Press)
Novak called for a full investigation of alleged war crimes against civilians in “the strongest possible terms” and vowed that “the crimes committed shall not go unpunished.”
Novak’s brief remarks had a somber, silent cynicism, as she described peace and justice as her highest goals, but had low expectations for the United Nations to achieve them.
Nowak noted that the United Nations is currently tracking 27 conflicts around the world, “none of which are currently described as ‘improving’.”
“Organizations formed to avoid war and preserve peace are focusing on ideological indoctrination. This is not what is needed today,” she declared.
“Instead, we must regain the ability to distinguish between important and irrelevant, important and unimportant, reality and fiction,” she said.
