The President of Hungary admitted the imminent start of peace talks on Ukraine

The time will soon come to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, and Pope Francis can play a key role in peace negotiations, stated in an interview with the newspaper il Messaggero, Hungarian President Katalin Nowak.

Novak, according to the newspaper, visited Rome after a trip to Kyiv, where she met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In the Italian capital, the head of state spoke with the pontiff, with whom she has developed “close human relations” in recent years.

“In Kyiv, I had a long and direct conversation with Zelensky, and I think it’s time to talk about how to structure the world. I absolutely agree with Pope Francis, even if I cannot publicly state that there is a concrete peace plan. I remain convinced that now we are closer to the implementation of the project, we already spoke about this with the pontiff during his last trip to Budapest four months ago, but I can’t say more,” Novak said.

The Pope’s decision to send his envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi to Kiev, Moscow and Washington, “should work,” she said, and the moment will soon come when it will play a key role in peace negotiations. “I still hope that things will change soon. Significantly already, Zuppi has negotiated with key figures, and now he will do so in China. This is a significant sign,” Novak said.

The Hungarian president also urged to “look for signs” that Russia is ready for peace talks.

Europe needs to be offered “creative ways” to end hostilities in Ukraine, Pope Francis said earlier. He said that he was worried about the “investment in weapons” that is taking place in the world.

At the end of June, the Pope’s special envoy for Ukraine, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, arrived in Moscow. The purpose of the visit, as explained in the Vatican, was “to encourage gestures of humanity that can help resolve the current tragic situation and find ways to achieve a just peace.” Prior to this, Zuppi also visited Ukraine, where he met with Zelensky. On June 29, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ held a meeting with Zuppi, during which he called for the unification of “all the forces of the world to prevent a major armed conflict.”