Hungarian Workers' Party calls for peace between Russia, Ukraine

BUDAPEST, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian Workers' Party has called for peace between Russia and Ukraine, and blamed the U.S. for fueling the conflict between the two countries.

"Today we are against war, we want peace. But let's not be naive! The Americans are the ones who don't want peace today, and they don't want it because war makes them rich," said the Party's president Gyula Thurmer before the demonstration.

Thurmer was speaking in the center of Budapest under a banner reading: "NATO pushes Hungary into war, the EU into misery, we want an independent Hungary!"

He urged Washington to "sit down with Russia" and draw up a peace agreement, and called on both countries to stop referring to the use of nuclear weapons.

The war has affected the Hungarian economy, he said: "Inflation is already over 20 percent, and we are facing not only increasing prices but a real danger of disappearing products."

In many parts of Hungary there is a lack of access to sugar and oil, according to Thurmer.

Thurmer also underlined that he does not want to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict: "The Hungarian Workers' Party is not pushing Russia's agenda, we are only pushing for peace, we are pushing for an agreement with Russia."

Hungary, which is heavily dependent on Russian fossil and nuclear energy, is a member of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). However, the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban is heavily critical of western sanctions on Russia.