Prime Minister Peter Magyar conditions support for Ukraine's accession to the EU on the protection of the Transcarpathian minority: “A condition sine qua non”
The Prime Minister of Hungary, Peter Magyar, said on Wednesday, May 20, in Warsaw, that Ukraine's progress in the process of joining the European Union depends on the settlement of the rights situation of the Hungarian minority in this country. The statements were made at a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk.
The Prime Minister of Hungary, Peter Magyar PHOTO: archive, the truth
The Budapest-based leader said he was willing to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in June to open “a new chapter” in bilateral relations, if there is concrete progress in this matter.
“We must achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible and then a lasting peace that is internationally guaranteed,” said Peter Magyar, referring to the war in Ukraine and the need to end the conflict with Russia, according to Reuters.
Regarding Ukraine's accession to the EU, the Hungarian prime minister was firm, stressing that protecting the rights of the approximately 150,000 ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia is “a sine qua non prerequisite”.
He stated that Budapest will not support the opening of accession negotiations before these issues are resolved, including guaranteeing the linguistic rights of the Hungarian minority.
Magyar proposed organizing a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the city of Beregovo (Beregshas), a town in Ukraine where the Hungarian community is the majority.
The talks come as Kiev and Budapest recently started consultations at the expert level, after meetings between the foreign ministers of the two states, Andrii Sîbiga, and the new head of Hungarian diplomacy, Anita Orban.
The parties agreed in Kyiv to launch technical consultations to identify “practical and solid solutions” on minority rights disputes, marking a change in tone from Viktor Orbán's rule.
For his part, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk welcomed the changes in Budapest, appreciating that Peter Magyar's victory represents “a return of Hungary to European standards, to honesty and genuine democracy“.
At the same time, Tusk reaffirmed his support for Ukraine's accession to the European Union, stressing, however, that the process must comply with all European rules and standards“as was also done in the case of Poland”.
