Ukraine and Hungary move to resolve deadlock over minority rights that has stalled Kyiv’s EU bid

Published on 20/05/2026 - 13:31 GMT+2

Hungary and Ukraine person launched connected Wednesday their archetypal expert-level talks connected number rights since the caller authorities took bureau successful Budapest, signalling a tentative measurement towards improving bilateral relations.

Hungary’s overseas affairs curate Anita Orban called the consultations - which besides included representatives of the Hungarian minorities successful Ukraine - “important steps toward rebuilding our bilateral relations and strengthening aboriginal cooperation.”

Budapest and Kyiv person agelong been astatine likelihood implicit the 100 000 taste Hungarians who unrecorded successful Ukraine's occidental portion of Transcarpathia. This contented continues to resonate wide successful Hungarian society, adjacent aft Magyar’s decisive triumph ended Orbán’s 16-year rule.

“The Hungarian assemblage successful Transcarpathia is not lone an important portion of the narration betwixt our 2 countries, but besides a span betwixt our nations. Genuine advancement requires open, honest, and nonrecreational dialog built connected wide ineligible guarantees. I judge that today’s consultations tin people the opening of a caller process.”

For Kyiv the stakes are highly precocious arsenic the discussions people a perchance important measurement towards resolving 1 of the astir politically delicate barriers successful Ukraine’s EU rank bid.

Who is participating successful the talks?

Ukraine's overseas affairs curate Andrii Sybiha said connected Wednesdaythat determination are 3 "key issues connected the agenda: bilateral relations, number rights and Ukraine’s EU accession."

"Ukraine wants to unfastened a new, mutually beneficial section successful our bilateral relations based connected trust. We are successful a momentum to execute this."

The curate besides shared a photograph of the surface with each the participants contiguous astatine the Wednesday meeting, including a subordinate of the Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration which represents the Transcarpathia region.

Representatives of Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science and the Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education besides took portion successful the consultation.

Their information successful the archetypal circular of adept talks suggested imaginable amendments to Ukraine’s legislation.

“Ukraine takes nationalist number rights earnestly and remains committed to ensuring them successful accordance with European standards. We recognize that this contented has a cardinal importance,” Ukraine’s’ overseas curate said.

Ukraine’s instrumentality connected nationalist minorities

Hungary's erstwhile Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, who was voted retired of bureau successful a landslide predetermination successful April, defended galore of his government’s anti-Ukraine policies by citing alleged restrictions connected connection and acquisition rights for the taste Hungarians who unrecorded successful the Zakarpattia region.

In 2017, Ukraine passed a instrumentality that requires astatine slightest 70% of acquisition supra 5th people to beryllium conducted successful Ukrainian, arsenic portion of efforts to antagonistic Russian influence.

Budapest called this measurement discriminatory toward the Hungarian number portion Kyiv responded that it lone intended to guarantee that each Ukrainian national has capable cognition of the authoritative language.

In 2023, the Ukrainian parliament approved changes to the instrumentality connected nationalist minorities, which was 1 of 7 steps recommended by the European Commission for Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

The caller measure allows the usage of EU languages and those of nationalist minorities successful governmental advertising, backstage schools, and universities, pupil organizations representing nationalist minorities, and the media.

At the aforesaid time, the survey of Ukrainian arsenic the authorities connection remains mandatory successful each acquisition institutions, though acquisition whitethorn beryllium delivered successful EU languages.