Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán’s Visit to Ukraine: Strengthening Ties and Addressing Minorities

During his recent meeting with Zelenskij, Orbán expressed a desire to strengthen relations between their countries and sign a cooperation agreement with Ukraine. However, the details of this agreement are yet to be finalized. In the past, tensions have arisen over EU aid to Ukraine, with Orbán initially vetoing it before eventually allowing it to pass. He assured NATO that Hungary would not hinder their assistance program as long as Hungary did not have to participate in it.

As part of the EU Council Presidency, Orbán emphasized the importance of peace in Ukraine for the security of Europe as a whole. Despite this, Budapest remains skeptical of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, believing that membership alone will not put an end to the war.

Orbán’s visit to Kyiv did little to change Hungary’s positions significantly, but he did offer support for modernizing Ukraine and recognized progress in addressing issues facing the Hungarian minority in the country. The two politicians agreed to open the first school for Ukrainian-speaking children in Hungary. Overall, both Orbán and Zelenskij appeared satisfied with the meeting’s results, even if they did not lead to significant changes on a larger scale.