Top Ukrainian officials meet with Hungarian MFA's head, negotiations begin
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Hungary, Dmytro Kuleba and Péter Szijjártó, as well as the Head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak , held talks (Photo: t.me/ermaka2022)
The Head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, along with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, have started negotiations with the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó, who arrived in Uzhhorod today, January 29, according to the Telegram channel of the Head of the Office of the President.
"Started an important visit of the Hungarian delegation. Together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, we welcome the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, and his team," wrote Yermak.
The Head of the Office of the President emphasized the importance of open and constructive dialogue between the countries and noted that the negotiations would concern the normalization of Ukrainian-Hungarian relations.
What preceded
On January 11, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary announced his visit to Uzhhorod and meetings with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. At that time, he also stated that the negotiations would address the preparation for the meeting between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President Zelenskyy.
Szijjártó also informed about his previous phone conversation with Yermak, during which he stated that a high-level meeting would make sense "if it can yield results."
Preparation for the meeting of Zelenskyy and Orbán
At the end of December, Orbán accepted the invitation of the President of Ukraine for a bilateral meeting. This will be the first official bilateral meeting between the two leaders since the beginning of the war.
According to the president, he has never discussed with Orbán the cessation of hostilities or dialogue with the dictator Vladimir Putin.
As Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Olha Stefanishyna, has explained, Szijjártó's visit to Uzhgorod is "related to the preparation for the future visit of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to Ukraine."
