Overview
- Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Tuesday he is ready to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy early next week if technical talks on the rights of Hungary’s minority in Ukraine conclude this week.
- Magyar described the technical-level consultations on language, cultural and education guarantees for about 150,000 ethnic Hungarians as progressing encouragingly and urged a swift technical conclusion.
- EU officials have signalled that a bilateral deal could clear the way for Brussels to open the first accession negotiation cluster for Ukraine as soon as mid-June.
- Magyar’s government has already secured a Brussels understanding to release €16.4 billion in frozen recovery funds to Hungary while wider EU support for Ukraine depends on separate Commission and member-state approvals and reform milestones.
- The talks mark a political shift in Budapest after Viktor Orban’s defeat as Magyar seeks closer ties with EU partners but keeps firm demands on minority protections and maintains Hungary’s stance against sending troops or weapons to Ukraine.