By Ács Gábor
Published on
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said he did not expect Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit Budapest later this month, despite having extended an invitation to Kyiv.
More than 100 politicians have been invited to state ceremonies on 23 October to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
However, in an interview with 444.hu published on Saturday, Magyar said he thought Zelenskyy's attendance was unlikely, even though Russian President Vladimir Putin had not been invited.
It comes after Magyar and Zelenskyy said at the EU summit in Brussels on Friday that they could meet again later this year.
"Either I will travel to Kyiv and from there we will go together to Beregszász, or the president will come to Budapest and from there we will go to Beregszász," Magyar said.
In post on X following their Brussels meeting, the Hungarian PM said he had expressed his "full solidarity" with Ukraine as it continues to battle Russia’s ongoing invasion.
He added that the pair had agreed to "continue talks at ministerial level, with a special focus on improving the situation of minorities in both countries" and that they believed it was "in both countries’ interests to build a new foundation for our political and economic relations."
Zelenskyy's deputy chief of staff had told Euronews earlier this week that the Ukrainian leader had been invited to Budapest for the 23 October commemorations amid efforts to reset relations between Kyiv and Budapest after years of diplomatic disputes that have repeatedly obstructed Ukraine's path towards EU membership.
"We have received an invitation. On 23 October, an event will be held to mark the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution," Zhovkva said. "The President of Ukraine has received an invitation to attend. We shall see."