BRUSSELS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday hailed his first meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar as “very good,” as Kyiv and Budapest sought a thaw in relations after years of friction.
Since Hungary’s pro-EU conservative leader took office in May, both countries have tried to mend ties that were tense under Magyar’s Kremlin-friendly predecessor Viktor Orban.
“We’ve had a very good meeting,” Zelensky told reporters in Brussels, where he had spoken with Magyar on the sidelines of an EU summit.
I met with Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar @magyarpeterMP. We spoke one-on-one about key issues on our bilateral agenda and Ukraine's progress toward EU accession. I thanked the Prime Minister for his principled steps and for the opening of two more negotiating clusters. We are working to open the remaining two by the end of the year.
We discussed the diplomatic situation and efforts to end Russia's war. I am grateful for his solidarity with Ukraine and our people, and for his readiness to work together for peace.
We also discussed opportunities for cooperation between Ukraine and Hungary, trade, and issues related to agricultural products.
Ukraine always stands for good-neighborly relations and mutual strengthening. We agreed to resume joint work at various levels and to exchange visits. Our teams will work out the dates.
Thank you!
He said that they had discussed “a lot of things, including relations, the economy and logistics — all of which are important between our two countries.”
Their meeting comes days after Kyiv passed legislation addressing Budapest’s longstanding concerns over the rights of the ethnic Hungarian minority in western Ukraine.
Hungary saw the move as “a first step toward restoring mutual trust,” Magyar said on Friday in a statement.
Following the vote, Hungary agreed to allow the European Union to open up new areas in accession negotiations with Ukraine.
Magyar added that he had agreed with Zelensky “that it is in the interests of both countries to put political and economic relations on a new footing.”
He also assured Zelensky “of my full solidarity in the face of Russia’s inhumane aggression against his country.”
Zelensky meanwhile posted on X saying that they had agreed “to resume joint work at various levels and to exchange visits. Our teams will work out the dates.”
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