President of Hungary Ms. Katalin Novák was received at the Vatican by Pope Francis on Aug. 25, where they discussed, among other topics of common interest, actions for ending the Ukraine combat. Two days earlier she had been to Kiev, and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the same topic. On Monday, Aug. 21, she received Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Budapest, and media reports indicate the leaders spoke about what can be done for ending the Ukraine warfare.
The Holy See statement on her meeting with the Pope said, “The conversation proceeded with a focus on the war in Ukraine, with special reference to the humanitarian situation and efforts to end the conflict.” Following her discussion with the Pope, Novák met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
RT reported Aug. 26 that President Novák told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, after she had met with the Pope, that she “remains convinced that we are now closer to carrying out the project that we talked about with the Pontiff during his last trip to Budapest four months ago.” She said, “I absolutely agree with Pope Francis even if I’m not in a position to make a public announcement that there is a concrete peace plan.”
In April, the Pope told reporters in Hungary that he had talked with the Hungarian President and others, saying, “There is a mission on course now but it is not yet public. When it is public, I will reveal it.” Also at that April meeting were Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Metropolitan Hilarion, Metropolitan of Budapest and Hungary, of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In Kiev on Wednesday, Aug. 23, President Novák attended the Crimea Platform, which is a yearly summit Zelenskyy initiated in 2022 to increase diplomatic pressure against Russia, over Crimea’s affiliation with the Russian Federation.
