Hungary links Ukraine’s EU bid to minority rights

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Wednesday in Warsaw that Ukraine’s progress toward European Union membership depends on “resolving the rights of the Hungarian minority” in the country.

He also reaffirmed his willingness to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in June to open a “new chapter” in bilateral relations, according to EFE, CE Report quotes MOLDPRES.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Warsaw with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the new Hungarian premier stressed that Ukraine has the right to defend its sovereignty, but also insisted on the need to end the war with Russia.

“We must achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, followed by a lasting peace guaranteed internationally,” the Hungarian leader said.

Regarding Ukraine’s accession to the EU, Peter Magyar stated clearly that protecting the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia “is a sine qua non precondition.” He stressed that before opening the first negotiation chapter for EU membership, Ukraine must resolve this issue, including guaranteeing language rights for the Hungarian minority.

To move discussions forward, Magyar proposed a meeting with Zelenskyy in Berehove, a Ukrainian city with a large Hungarian minority population.

These statements come after a recent meeting in Kyiv between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Hungary’s new foreign minister Anita Orban. The two sides agreed to begin expert-level consultations in the coming days to find “practical and solid solutions” to disagreements regarding minority rights.

The move marks a change in tone compared with the period when Hungary was led by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

For his part, Donald Tusk said Peter Magyar’s electoral victory represents “Hungary’s return to European standards, honesty, and genuine democracy.” He also reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s EU accession while emphasizing that “all established rules and standards must be respected,” just as they were during Poland’s own accession process.

PHOTO: X (Peter Magyar)