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Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar held his first bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the European Council. The highly symbolic talks came after months of negotiations over the timing and location of the encounter.
Kyiv and Budapest both see the meeting as a chance to normalise relations after years of tension between the neighbouring countries. Under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Ukraine was portrayed in Hungary as a security risk, and Orbán campaigned against its EU accession.
After his Tisza Party’s election victory, Magyar vowed to take a more pragmatic approach and settle bilateral relations. However, his government has continued to insist that Kyiv honour its commitments on minority rights before any further steps towards membership can proceed.
On Monday, Ukraine’s parliament approved the 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 assessed that the Parliament of Ukraine adopted the law on minority education based on the agreement, and that the Ukrainian side immediately began its implementation" Magyar said after the meeting in a social media statement.
According to the Hungarian PM, further talks are expected between the two government on ministerial level.
"I assured the Ukrainian President of my full solidarity with the inhuman Russian aggression against her country that has been going on for almost five years" Magyar said.
Further meeting planned
Magyar and Zelenskyy are set to meet again soon. Magyar said a meeting could take place in the autumn in Berehove, western Ukraine, a centre of the country’s 100,000-strong Hungarian minority.
Zelenskyy might also visit Budapest next week for the 70th anniversary commemoration of the 1956 revolution, a defining moment in Hungarian history. His deputy chief of staff, Ihor Zhovkva, 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 23 October, 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 shall see.”
On 23 October 1956, Hungarian students took to the streets to protest against Soviet occupation. The demonstrations quickly grew into a popular uprising, which the Red Army later crushed. A visit by Zelenskyy could also invite parallels with Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s full-scale invasion.