Hungary’s new prime minister, Péter Magyar, has signaled a willingness to open a new chapter in relations with Ukraine, but he says a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will only happen if progress is made on a sensitive issue that has strained ties between the two countries for years.
According to reports cited by Live Ukraine, Magyar stated that discussions with Zelensky could move forward once there is tangible progress regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine’s Transcarpathian region.
The proposed meeting could reportedly take place in the border city of Berehove, home to a large ethnic Hungarian community.
Talks already underway between Budapest and Kyiv
Péter Magyar said Hungarian diplomats have already started technical negotiations with Ukrainian experts focused on language rights and other issues affecting ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia.
The Hungarian prime minister expressed hope that the talks would progress quickly, creating the conditions necessary for a face-to-face meeting with Zelensky.
His statements mark one of the clearest signals yet that the new Hungarian government is seeking a different tone in its relationship with Ukraine after years of tension under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Péter Magyar says Hungary will not send troops to Ukraine
While emphasizing the importance of improving diplomatic relations, Magyar also made it clear that Hungary does not plan to become directly involved militarily in the war.
“We do not plan to send Hungarian troops to Ukraine,” Péter Magyar said, adding that there is currently no finalized international agreement regarding the deployment of foreign troops.
At the same time, he argued that the war can only be resolved through a peace agreement backed by meaningful international guarantees for Ukraine.
“The solution to the crisis is a peace agreement with real guarantees for Ukraine,” Magyar said, stressing that any future settlement must protect the country’s territorial integrity and independence.
Reference to the Budapest Memorandum
The Hungarian prime minister also referred to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, under which Ukraine received security assurances after giving up its nuclear arsenal.
“You know, Ukraine’s territorial integrity was guaranteed in 1994 in the Budapest Memorandum, which, of course, was signed in Budapest. And the problem is that the international community did not truly fulfill its duty and did not guarantee Ukraine’s integrity and independence. And now we need a peace agreement with real security guarantees,” explained Péter Magyar.
The remarks reflect a noticeably different diplomatic approach compared to Viktor Orbán’s government, which often clashed with Kyiv over minority rights issues and broader questions related to the war.
A possible reset in Hungarian-Ukrainian relations
Since taking office, Péter Magyar has repeatedly indicated that he wants to rebuild communication channels with Ukrainian officials and improve cooperation between the neighboring countries.
Although tensions surrounding the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia remain unresolved, the start of diplomatic discussions and the possibility of a direct meeting between Magyar and Zelensky suggest that both sides may be testing the ground for a more constructive relationship.
For now, however, the Hungarian prime minister insists that meaningful progress on minority rights must come first before any official meeting takes place.