The danger that the Ukrainian crisis might escalate further has diminished, Foreign Minister János Martonyi said on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry State Secretary Zsolt Németh summoned Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Tolkach to his office and, on behalf of the Government, called on the Russian side to observe valid international agreements with respect to Ukraine, and to instruct its units to return to within the confines of the Russian bases in the Crimea.

Summoning the Ambassador will obviously have no impact on Russia's policies, János Martonyi said, but a step like this enables Hungary to express its concerns, put forward its position and ask the diplomat about how he views the situation.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister stated that both the Visegrad Group and the European Union consider Ukraine's current government and parliament to be legitimate. The most important issue for Hungary is to preserve the security of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, he added.

At present it appears that the danger of escalation is less than it was before, János Martonyi claimed. On the basis of Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement, further action is not likely and regular Russian units are not penetrating into eastern Ukraine, he added. There won't be a real invasion, although Mr. Putin stressed that Russia would defend the interests of the Russian minority. The halting of the Russian military exercises in the area also signals that the operation in Crimea has come to an end, Mr. Martonyi added.

Sooner or later it will be necessary for Russia and Ukraine to enter into negotiations, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said. Not even the former governing Party of the Regions disputes the legitimacy of the current government or parliament, he said, adding that the state of affairs whereby Ukraine does not have a legitimate government cannot be maintained in the long term.
War is in no one's interests -- including Russia's -- because armed conflict would bring the danger of isolation. At the same time, were the situation to turn into a frozen conflict lasting several months or even years that would also not be a good outcome, since the longer the crisis lasts the harder it will be to resolve, he said. Settlement talks must therefore begin as soon as possible, János Martonyi added. "The danger of armed conflict has perhaps been successfully averted," he said.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister stressed that "comprehensive and significant" financial assistance should be extended to Ukraine as soon as possible with the participation of international financial organisations.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)