Hungary, Ukraine Launch Minority-Rights Talks for 100,000 Ethnic Hungarians as EU Accession Decision Nears
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 19
Hungary, Ukraine Launch Minority-Rights Talks for 100,000 Ethnic Hungarians as EU Accession Decision Nears
12 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 19
Expert-level consultations on the rights of roughly 100,000 ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region are due to start this week, marking an early thaw after years of strained ties.
Hungary’s new government tied the talks to Ukraine’s EU path, with Prime Minister Péter Magyar calling progress on minority rights a prerequisite for Budapest to back opening the first accession phase next month.
The dispute centers on Ukraine’s 2017 education law, which made Ukrainian the required language of study after fifth grade and angered Hungarian and other minorities.
Relations had sunk under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose government blocked EU aid steps for Kyiv and resisted sanctions on Moscow, but Budapest’s new leadership has signaled a sharper break by condemning recent Russian strikes.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv is ready to open a “mutually beneficial chapter” with Hungary and restore trust between the neighbors.
Will Hungary's policy shift truly help Ukraine, or is it just a tactic to reclaim frozen EU funds?
After losing its staunchest EU ally, how will the Kremlin adapt its strategy for influencing European politics?
With Orbán gone, what does Hungary's pivot signal for the future of populist movements across Europe?