Hungary, the country’s prime minister and the governing Fidesz party embody „the pledge of peace” in central Europe and Europe more broadly, Zoltán Kovács, the state secretary for international relations and communications, told journalists at a campaign stop in eastern Hungary on Thursday. Referring to the attempt against the life of Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, Kovács said the attack underscored the stakes in the June 9 European and local elections, saying Fico stood for peace and this „literally required sacrifice”. More and more countries had advocated for peace in recent weeks. „We are now on our own on the European stage,” he said. He said Hungary’s campaign for peace was not an election issue but had started even before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, and when the war started Hungary had urged there to be „no bloodshed”. Kovács said a resolution must be found through negotiations. „I’m convinced this is possible,” he said, adding that a vote for Fidesz was „a vote for peace”.