Hungary, Ukraine Agree To Reset Ties After Historic Magyar-Zelenskyy Meeting

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary and Ukraine agreed Friday to rebuild their strained political and economic relations after Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar held his first formal one-on-one meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marking a major diplomatic breakthrough.

The talks, held on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Brussels, followed years of tensions under former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose government repeatedly blocked Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership over disputes involving minority rights and other issues.

Magyar said the two leaders agreed to strengthen protections for ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine’s western Transcarpathia region, where the community has long expressed concerns about restrictions on Hungarian-language education.

Magyar wrote on social media after the meeting that he and Zelenskyy agreed it was in both countries’ interests to put their political and economic relations on a new footing.

Zelenskyy welcomed the discussions, describing the meeting as “very good” and saying they had also addressed economic cooperation, trade, and logistics.

MINORITY RIGHTS AGREEMENT

The meeting followed Ukraine’s adoption of new legislation strengthening protections for Hungarian-language education, allowing ethnic Hungarian children in Transcarpathia greater access to instruction in their mother tongue while safeguarding minority-language schools and cultural identity.

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, up to 150,000 ethnic Hungarians were estimated to live in Transcarpathia, a western Ukrainian region bordering Hungary. Many have since left Ukraine amid the war, although reliable current population figures remain unavailable.

Magyar said the legislation’s adoption and the start of its implementation represented an important step toward restoring mutual trust.

Hungary has also lifted its objections to opening two additional negotiating clusters in Ukraine’s EU accession process, covering the internal market and competitiveness and inclusive growth.

The decision brought the number of opened negotiating clusters to four out of six, marking a significant change from the policies of Orbán, who had opposed accelerating Ukraine’s European integration.

EU ACCESSION PROGRESS

Zelenskyy thanked Magyar for supporting the opening of the two additional negotiating clusters and said Ukraine hoped to open the remaining two by the end of the year.

Magyar also thanked Zelenskyy for a Ukrainian parliamentary resolution adopted in September acknowledging crimes committed against ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia between 1944 and 1946.

The resolution recognized forced labor and mass deportations during the early years of Soviet control over the region, when thousands of ethnic Hungarians were deported or sent to labor camps.

The leaders agreed to continue negotiations at the ministerial level, focusing on minority protections and rebuilding cooperation between the neighboring countries.

Magyar assured Zelenskyy of Hungary’s solidarity as Ukraine continues resisting Russia’s full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022.

PEACE EFFORTS

“I assured the Ukrainian president of my full solidarity over the inhuman Russian aggression against his country,” Magyar wrote.

He added that Hungary was prepared to use all possible diplomatic means to help secure an early ceasefire and lasting peace.

Zelenskyy expressed appreciation for the Hungarian leader’s position and confirmed plans to strengthen diplomatic contacts.

“I am grateful for his solidarity with Ukraine and our people, and for his readiness to work together for peace,” Zelenskyy wrote on the social media platform X.

“We agreed to resume joint work at various levels and to exchange visits. Our teams will work out the dates,” he added.

HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION ANNIVERSARY

The diplomatic breakthrough has raised expectations that Zelenskyy could visit Budapest on October 23, when Hungary commemorates the 70th anniversary of its 1956 uprising against Soviet domination.

The revolt was crushed by Soviet troops, leaving thousands dead and forcing roughly 200,000 Hungarians to flee their homeland.

Even seven decades later, bullet holes from the fighting remain visible on numerous buildings in Budapest, the Hungarian capital, serving as reminders of the country’s struggle against Soviet rule.

Zelenskyy’s deputy chief of staff, Ihor Zhovkva, confirmed in an interview with Euronews that the Ukrainian president had been invited to attend the anniversary commemorations.

Asked Friday whether he might travel to Budapest, Zelenskyy replied: “Budapest? I’m not against it.”

NEW BILATERAL CHAPTER

However, no final date for a visit has been announced.

His possible attendance would carry added symbolism as Ukraine continues fighting Russian forces more than four and a half years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion.

Magyar, who defeated Orbán in Hungary’s April parliamentary elections, has sought closer relations with European partners while maintaining support for ethnic Hungarian communities beyond the country’s borders.

However, Budapest continues to insist on guarantees for minority rights, while differences remain over the pace of Ukraine’s integration into the European Union.

The Brussels meeting was seen as opening a new chapter in relations between the two countries, whose shared history has often been marred by political differences.