Hungary Eyes June Zelenskiy Meeting if 150,000 Minority Rights Deal Advances
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 20
Hungary Eyes June Zelenskiy Meeting if 150,000 Minority Rights Deal Advances
7 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 20
Online consultations between Kyiv and Budapest on the rights of about 150,000 ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine began Wednesday, opening a path to a June meeting between Prime Minister Peter Magyar and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Magyar said a successful deal is essential for Hungary to back Ukraine's EU accession and proposed Beregszasz, a town with a Hungarian majority, as the venue for an early-June meeting.
In Warsaw, Magyar paired that more conciliatory line on Ukraine with talks on reducing Hungary's dependence on Russian energy, another friction point with Brussels under Viktor Orban.
Poland offered help diversifying Hungary's supplies, including potential access from a new Gdansk LNG terminal due in 2028, though Magyar said LNG would need to become more price-competitive.
Will high energy prices force Hungary's pro-EU government to break its promise of ditching Russian gas?
Can Hungary's new leader undo 16 years of autocracy in time to unlock billions in expiring EU funds?
Is Hungary's democratic reset a genuine model for Europe or a playbook for rebranding to secure EU cash?