Hungary’s Magyar meets Zelenskyy in bid to reset strained ties

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar held his first bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the European Council summit, following months of negotiations over when and where the two leaders would meet.

The highly symbolic encounter marks a step towards normalising relations between Kyiv and Budapest after years of tension.

Under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungary portrayed Ukraine as a security threat, while Orbán fiercely opposed Kyiv's bid to join the EU.

Following his Tisza Party's election victory, Magyar pledged a more pragmatic approach and sought to repair relations with Ukraine. However, his government has continued to insist that Kyiv fulfil its commitments on minority rights before further progress towards EU membership can be made.

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.