Hungary's new PM names condition for resuming friendly relations with Ukraine

Hungary's incoming Prime Minister Péter Magyar has said his government will seek to rebuild alliances with neighbouring countries, including Ukraine, but issues concerning national minorities need to be resolved.

Magyar noted that many Hungarians live in Ukraine, although "their number is now significantly lower than a few years ago".

"There are historic towns in Zakarpattia, and about 100,000 Hungarians still live in Ukraine. Therefore, it is in our interest to maintain good relations with our neighbours and resolve any disputes. This applies to Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia and Austria," Magyar said at a press conference.

However, he said that there are currently certain "unresolved issues".

"There are many unresolved issues that we will inherit from Orbán's government, as they used these disputes for the purposes of inter-party politics," Magyar stressed.

He added that he had received congratulations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and expressed confidence that they would meet.

In summer 2024, European Pravda published a list of 11 demands concerning national minorities that Hungary had presented to Ukraine in exchange for supporting the start of accession talks with the European Union.