Preconditions for a Meeting Between Viktor Orban and Volodymyr Zelensky

Conditions for organizing a top level meeting are not yet in place, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade says.

A BYD autóátadó ünnepsége Budapesten Fotó: Balogh Zoltán

Conditions are not yet in place for a meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told the Russian RIA Novosti news agency.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto speaks at a joint press conference after a meeting with  Chadian Foreign Minister Mahamat Saleh Annadif at the  Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Photo: MTI/Zoltan Mathe)

Such a meeting can take place after the fulfillment of certain preconditions, which are far from being met at the moment,

Szijjarto said in response to a question at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

A meeting between Viktor Orban and Volodymyr Zelensky will only make sense if Ukraine meets all of Hungary's demands regarding the issues of the ethnic Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, RIA recalled, citing the Hungary's foreign minister as saying in January.

The Hungarian and Ukrainian foreign ministers met in Uzhhorod at the end of January. At that time, encouraging steps were taken to restore the climate of trust between Hungary and Ukraine, but there is still a long way to go and a lot of work will be needed, which Hungary is ready to do, said Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in Uzhhorod.

Szijjarto pointed out that since 2015, legislation has been passed step by step, curtailing the rights of the Hungarian minority. Last year, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a framework law on ethnic minorities, which put a stop to this trend, he added.

We do have one demand: Hungarians living in Transcarpathia must regain the rights they had before 2015. We are not asking for much. We have summarized them in eleven points, covering issues such as school status, the option to take school-leaving exams in the Hungarian language, and the use of the Hungarian language in culture and higher education,

Peter Szijjarto said, as reported by Magyar Nemzet.

Russian media also reported that Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto told RIA Novosti that he intends to attend  the St Petrersburg International Economic Forum.

I am definitely going to Sochi, and I have been invited to SPIEF, I think I will participate,

Peter Szijjarto said during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

By mentioning Sochi, the Hungarian minister of foreign affairs and trade referred to the Atomexpo International Forum held in Russia since 2009.

 Cover photo: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto speaks at the BYD car handover ceremony at the Puskas Arena on February 23, 2024. (Photo: MTI/Zoltan Balogh)