Magyar wants to meet Zelenskyy and names location
Photo: Péter Magyar (Getty Images)
The Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said he is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berehove, in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region, according to the Hungarian government and Suspilne.
The Hungarian Prime Minister said he spoke with Zelenskyy during a meeting of the European Council on Thursday, June 18, and that both confirmed their intention to hold a meeting.
"I once again emphasized that I would be glad if this meeting took place in the wonderful city of Berehove in Zakarpattia. I would like to meet in Berehove, while he would prefer another location. I repeated the name of the city to him in three languages — Hungarian, Ukrainian, and Russian. I would gladly travel there," he said.
At the same time, Magyar noted that it "does not matter" where exactly the Ukrainian President would prefer to hold the meeting.
"The meeting will take place, of course. We have said many times that with all member states and all our neighbors, we must and will strive to build good, balanced relations. Several cities were mentioned: Kyiv, Budapest, Lviv, and Berehove. In my view, the fate of the world does not depend on this," the Hungarian Prime Minister said.
Ukraine’s EU integration issue
Magyar also said that the European Council conclusions did not include a specific date for Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
"It is no secret that President Zelenskyy spoke about this happening as soon as possible. However, no specific date has been mentioned either by the member states, the European Commission, or the Presidency of the Council of the EU," he noted.
He also said Hungary’s position is that accession talks with the European Union "should be conducted based on effectiveness and merit."
Hungary succeeded in removing wording from the EU summit’s final statement regarding an accelerated path for Ukraine’s EU membership. The Hungarian Prime Minister played a role in this decision.
In addition, the Hungarian head of government said that Kyiv and Budapest had officially signed a historic agreement concerning the protection of the educational, cultural, linguistic, and political rights of the Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia.
