Ukraine and Hungary held online talks on Wednesday, May 20, aimed at reviving strained bilateral relations following the election defeat of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
According to AFP, relations between Kyiv and Budapest deteriorated during Orbán’s 16 years in power, as the Kremlin-friendly leader repeatedly opposed Ukraine’s European Union accession bid and blocked EU aid packages for Kyiv.
“Ukraine wants to open a new, mutually beneficial chapter in our bilateral relations based on trust,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said in a statement published on X ahead of the talks.
Sybiha said Ukraine’s EU accession should be viewed as “a strategic interest for Hungary,” adding that membership would help strengthen Hungarian national unity and ensure the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
The status of the Hungarian-speaking minority in western Ukraine has remained Budapest’s central concern in relations with Kyiv for years.
“The consistent protection of the rights of national minorities is the first issue we must address,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said.
“Genuine progress requires open, honest, and professional dialogue built on clear legal guarantees. I believe that today’s consultations can mark the beginning of a new process,” she added.
Orbán is a common surname in Hungary, and Anita Orbán is not related to former-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was recently defeated.
Viktor Orbán, who lost power in parliamentary elections last month, repeatedly accused Kyiv of discriminating against ethnic Hungarians through Ukraine’s language and education laws. Critics said the stance aligned more closely with Moscow’s interests than minority rights concerns.
Relations improve after Magyar election
Relations between Kyiv and Budapest have improved since the election of Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who has announced plans to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
On Tuesday Zelensky said that Ukraine also sees an opportunity to reset relations with Hungary, signaling a possible diplomatic thaw after years of tensions that repeatedly stalled Kyiv’s EU ambitions.
“There are prospects for a constructive reset in relations,” Zelensky said after meeting Sybiha to discuss Ukraine’s foreign policy priorities for May and June.
Magyar visited Poland on Wednesday during his first official foreign trip as prime minister, seeking to improve ties with Warsaw, one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters within the EU.
Although Hungary remains heavily dependent on Russian energy imports, with most Russian oil supplies arriving through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline crossing Ukrainian territory, the country has summoned Russia’s ambassador over strikes on Ukraine.
According to a Bloomberg report, Anita Orbán met Russian Ambassador Evgeny Stanislavov in Budapest on Thursday, following condemnation from Prime Minister Peter Magyar over what he described as one of the most intense waves of drone strikes targeting western Ukraine – a region home to an ethnic Hungarian minority.
“The Hungarian government strongly condemns the Russian attack on Transcarpathia,” Magyar told journalists.
Before the head of Hungarian FM met with the Russian ambassador, Magyar said his top diplomat would demand an answer from Stanislavov on “when Russia and Vladimir Putin plan to finally end this bloody war.”