Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar has proposed a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in early June, in what he described as an effort to reset strained relations between the two neighbors and address long-standing disputes over minority rights.
The initiative comes after Hungary’s April 12 election, in which Magyar defeated long-time Prime Minister Viktor Orban, ending his 16-year rule. Relations between Budapest and Kyiv had deteriorated sharply in the period leading up to the vote, particularly over Hungary’s repeated use of its EU veto power to block Ukraine-related financial support and delay progress on EU accession talks.
Magyar said he wants to begin a new phase in bilateral relations and suggested that the meeting should take place symbolically in Berehove, a town in western Ukraine with a Hungarian majority population.
“I am initiating a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for early June, symbolically in Berehove, which has a Hungarian majority,” Magyar said, adding that the aim is to improve conditions for ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine and support their ability to remain in their home regions.
The region of Transcarpathia, where the Hungarian minority is concentrated, has been a persistent source of tension between the two countries. Disputes escalated after Ukraine introduced language reforms in 2017 requiring Ukrainian as the main language of secondary education, which Budapest said restricted the rights of ethnic Hungarians.
Magyar argued that these restrictions should be lifted, saying the community should regain full cultural, linguistic and educational rights.
“The time has come for Ukraine to lift the legal restrictions that have been in place for more than a decade and for the Hungarians of Transcarpathia to regain all their cultural, linguistic, administrative and higher education rights,” he said, adding that resolving these issues could open what he called a “new chapter” in relations between the two countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously visited the region and met representatives of the Hungarian community, expressing gratitude for their support during the war and difficult conditions.
Separately, developments in EU politics also influenced the broader context of relations. The European Union recently approved a €90 billion loan package for Ukraine after Hungary lifted its veto, ending a prolonged political blockage in Brussels that had drawn criticism from other member states.
Magyar has positioned himself as more open to dialogue with both the EU and Ukraine than his predecessor, signaling a potential shift in Hungary’s foreign policy direction. At the same time, he has stated that Ukraine’s accession to the EU would not be realistic in the near term and has opposed accelerated membership procedures.
He also underlined that Ukraine should not be pressured into territorial concessions as part of any peace settlement, while maintaining that Hungary should pursue constructive relations with all neighboring states.