Hungary and Ukraine reset ties after first official Magyar-Zelensky bilateral talks

First official talks in Brussels

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held their first official bilateral talks on Friday, 16 October, on the sidelines of a two-day EU summit in Brussels. The two leaders agreed that it is in the interest of both countries to place their political and economic relations on a new basis, Magyar wrote in a Facebook post. Zelensky described the meeting as very good and said the leaders discussed a wide range of issues. He added that he would not object to a visit to Budapest. The summit is focused on financial aid for Kyiv, and Kyiv is seeking European backing as its relations with the United States have deteriorated.

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Minority law and the EU path

Ukraine's parliament passed amendments to the education law on Monday, 12 October, allowing members of minorities to be taught in their mother tongue. Zelensky then signed the law, a measure Hungary had demanded before it would allow Kyiv's EU accession negotiations to continue. Hungary subsequently lifted its objections, and on 13 October Ukraine began negotiations with the bloc on the internal market and competitiveness standards. Ukrainian officials said the law would mainly enshrine rights that minorities already hold, without major practical change. About 80,000 ethnic Hungarians live in Transcarpathia, in the far west of Ukraine. Magyar also welcomed a September decision by the Ukrainian parliament recognizing that crimes, including forced labour and mass deportations, were committed against Hungarians in Transcarpathia between 1944–1946.

Solidarity and the war

Magyar said he assured Zelensky of his full solidarity in the face of what he called inhuman Russian aggression against Ukraine, which has lasted almost five years. He said Hungary is ready to help through every available diplomatic channel to secure a ceasefire and a lasting peace. Magyar has repeatedly said Hungary will not send weapons to Ukraine, while pressing for progress on the rights of the Hungarian minority there. The two sides agreed that dialogue will continue at ministerial level, with particular attention to the minorities living in both countries.

A break from Orbán's policy

Viktor Orbán, Magyar's predecessor, repeatedly blocked Ukraine's EU accession process and accused Kyiv of restricting the rights of the Hungarian minority. Orbán made scepticism about support for Ukraine in its war with Russia the central theme of his campaign ahead of the April elections, which ended his 16 years as prime minister. Under Magyar, Hungary has dropped its resistance to further accession negotiations and taken a less confrontational line toward Kyiv. Before Friday the two leaders had met at international events, in June in Brussels and in July at the NATO summit in Ankara, but no official bilateral talks had taken place.

Talks that ran past the planned length

The meeting was held under unusual conditions. Hungarian representatives insisted that Zelensky and Magyar speak without aides or delegation members, and at Hungary's request journalists were excluded from the protocol part, according to Ukrainska Pravda. Magyar had announced a conversation of 10 to 15 minutes, but a source familiar with the negotiations said it lasted about half an hour.