PM says minority rights talks could aid Ukraine EU bid

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, on his third official foreign visit since taking office, signaled a potential breakthrough in a longstanding dispute with Ukraine during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Tuesday. Magyar expressed optimism that technical-level negotiations on the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine could conclude this week, paving the way for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy early next week and potentially unlocking European Union accession talks for Kyiv.

The prime minister stated that talks regarding the linguistic, cultural, and educational rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region were progressing very encouragingly. He emphasized that securing these fundamental human rights for the minority community is a precondition for Hungary supporting the next phase of Ukraine’s EU bid. Magyar said he was highly optimistic about resolving the dispute, which has persisted for over a decade, and is ready to open a new chapter in bilateral relations.

Chancellor Merz welcomed the new Hungarian government’s engagement, calling Magyar’s recent election victory a profound historical turning...