Ukrainian foreign minister holds first meeting with new Hungarian counterpart
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán have held their first in-person meeting on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in the Swedish city of Helsingborg.
The ministers reviewed the results of the first round of bilateral expert-level consultations on national minorities held this week and agreed to conduct a second round next week.
"We both recognise the importance of progress on this track; we seek to find constructive solutions and achieve tangible results. On my part, I underscored the critical importance of Ukraine's EU accession and the timely opening of negotiating clusters," Sybiha said on X.
The Ukrainian minister also briefed Orbán on the battlefield situation, the peace process and Europe's potential new role.
The diplomats agreed that the restoration of bilateral dialogue between Ukraine and Hungary is a positive development for both countries and for Europe as a whole, and coordinated further bilateral engagement at all levels.
Photos from the meeting indicate that Sybiha and Orbán met at the Home Hotel Grand Helsingborg restaurant rather than at an official venue.
On 20 May, Orbán, Sybiha and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka launched expert-level consultations between Kyiv and Budapest on minority rights.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said Ukraine must ensure the Hungarian minority enjoys the same rights as minorities in other EU countries before Budapest agrees to the opening of the first cluster in the EU's pre-accession talks with Kyiv.