Hungary calls for EU intervention in Ukraine

With dozens dead and hundreds injured in clashes between demonstrators and police in Kiev, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday calling on the European Union (EU) to go into action to halt the violence. The statement sharply condemned the bloodshed and urgently called for a political solution in keeping with the interests of the Ukrainian people. It said the government was primarily responsible for finding a political resolution, but pressed the opposition to distance itself from the extremists. It also called on the EU to consider all options including "measures to restrict the persons responsible for the use of force" in an effort to find a peaceful solution. Hungary shares a border with Ukraine and there is a sizable Hungarian minority in the westernmost region that could easily be affected if the violence spreads. Speaking at a Wednesday news conference, Foreign Ministry media chief Gabor Kaleta said that the EU's foreign ministers were meeting on Thursday to see what they could do. The border between the two countries is open, said Kaleta, and traffic is moving normally. There has been no increase in people wanting to enter Hungary, he went on. However, Interior Ministry spokesman Tamas Csizmadia reported that Hungary's police force, disaster management authority, immigration bureau and ambulance and emergency services have been placed on alert, and would go into action as needed.