Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar held his first bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the European Council. The highly symbolic talks followed months of negotiations over the timing and location of the meeting.
Kyiv and Budapest view the meeting as an opportunity to normalise relations after years of tensions between the neighbouring countries. Under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Ukraine was portrayed in Hungary as a security threat, and Orbán campaigned against its accession to the European Union.
After his Tisza Party won the election, Magyar pledged to pursue a more pragmatic approach and resolve bilateral disputes. However, his government has continued to insist that Kyiv honour its commitments on minority rights before further progress towards EU membership can be made.
On Monday, Ukraine’s parliament approved new legislation, which Zelenskyy subsequently signed into law. The following day, the EU opened negotiations on two additional accession clusters after Hungary dropped its objections, bringing the total to four out of six.
“As a first step towards restoring mutual trust, we welcomed the fact that Ukraine’s parliament had adopted the law on minority education based on the agreement and that the Ukrainian side had immediately begun implementing it,” Magyar said in a social media statement following the meeting.
According to the Hungarian prime minister, further talks between the two governments are expected at ministerial level.
“I assured the Ukrainian president of my full solidarity in the face of Russia’s inhumane aggression against her country, which has continued for almost five years,” Magyar added.
Magyar and Zelenskyy are expected to meet again soon. Magyar said another meeting could take place in the autumn in Berehove, western Ukraine, a centre of the country’s Hungarian minority, which numbers approximately 100,000 people.
Zelenskyy may also visit Budapest next week for commemorations marking the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, a defining moment in Hungary’s history. Ihor Zhovkva, Zelenskyy’s deputy chief of staff, confirmed in an exclusive interview with Euronews that the president had received an invitation and was considering the visit.
“We have received an invitation. On October 23, an event will be held to mark the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution,” Zhovkva said when asked whether Zelenskyy had been invited to the Hungarian capital.
“The President of Ukraine has received an invitation to attend. We will see,” he added.
