Magyar and Zelenskyy Meet in Brussels to Repair Relations

The meeting on Friday, October 16, marked a departure from the policies of former nationalist leader Viktor Orban.

The talks between Magyar and Volodymyr Zelensky aimed to repair bilateral relations that had remained strained throughout Orban’s tenure. Orban had maintained close relations with Vladimir Putin’s Russia even after the 2022 invasion, frequently blocking European financial support packages for Kyiv and vetoing EU accession talks.

Brussels Summit Marks First Sign of Proximity Since 2022

Following the discussions in Brussels, Zelensky described the encounter as a “very good meeting” in a press conference. The two leaders addressed economic cooperation, logistical challenges, and bilateral relations. Magyar stepped into office as prime minister in May following a legislative election victory by his party.

“I assured the Ukrainian president of my full solidarity against the inhumane Russian aggression against his country,” Magyar stated after exiting the meeting room.

Language Reform Resolves Minority Dispute in Transcarpathia

The diplomatic thaw follows a legislative compromise regarding ethnic minorities. For years, Budapest maintained a veto against Ukraine’s European Union integration path, citing language laws enacted in 2017 that established Ukrainian as the primary language of instruction in secondary schools. The policy directly impacted approximately 100,000 citizens belonging to the ethnic Hungarian minority living in western Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region.

The impasse broke when Kiev adopted a law on Monday, October 12, strengthening linguistic rights for minority communities within the educational sector. Just one day later, Budapest officially lifted its remaining objections to opening two new negotiation chapters for Ukraine’s EU accession process.

Diplomatic Engagements Scheduled in Budapest and Transcarpathia

Bilateral contacts will accelerate in the coming weeks. According to Euronews, Volodymyr Zelensky received an invitation to visit Budapest on October 23 to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian revolution, which had been crushed by the Soviet army.

Magyar also indicated plans for a possible meeting later this autumn in Berehove, a town in western Ukraine situated at the center of the local Hungarian community, and affirmed that exchanges would resume at the ministerial level between the two governments.