Hungary announces start of talks with Ukraine on rights of Hungarians in Zakarpattia

"Before today’s cabinet meeting began, I informed the President of the European Council by phone that we had initiated a round of technical-level talks with the Ukrainian side aimed at securing legal guarantees as soon as possible for the linguistic, educational, and cultural rights of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia," said Péter Magyar.

Under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungary repeatedly blocked key EU decisions regarding Ukraine — delaying the opening of negotiation clusters, the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, and a €90 billion loan.

During parliamentary hearings, Hungary’s new foreign minister, Anita Orbán, acknowledged that previous governments often blocked EU decisions not out of principle, but for political motives. She stated that Hungary had too often become an obstacle in Europe’s decision-making process and that the veto had been used not as a last resort, but for political PR.

The situation changed after the parliamentary elections on April 12, 2026. The Tisza party led by Péter Magyar won a decisive victory, securing 138 of 199 seats in parliament.

After the victory, Magyar stated that improving relations with Ukraine is one of his government’s priorities and, in late April, proposed a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berehove in early June.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also held talks with Hungary’s foreign minister Anita Orbán and expressed readiness to open a "new page" in relations between the countries.

According to him, Ukraine is ready to move to a mutually beneficial stage of cooperation immediately.

The sides agreed to hold expert consultations this week to find practical solutions to the issue of the Hungarian minority in the Zakarpattia region and to cooperate with the new Hungarian government across all areas of the bilateral agenda, including minority rights.