Minority rights concerns rebuked as Hungarian deputy foreign minister visits Ukraine

Ukrainian officials in Zakarpattia Oblast told visiting Hungarian deputy foreign minister, Levente Magyar, that the Hungarian minority in Ukraine is not being oppressed.

Magyar met with the head of the regional military administration Viktor Mykyta, who stated that Hungarian and Romanian communities in Zakarpattia have the full support of the local government.

For his part, Magyar announced that Hungary would provide 14 buses to Ukraine full of humanitarian aid. He went on to say that Budapest is providing significant aid to Ukraine, "despite the narrative some elements are trying to create."

Hungary's government, led by the ruling Fidesz Party, has previously accused the Ukrainian government of oppressing the rights of Hungarian minorities that live in the western regions of Ukraine, near the border between the two countries.

Even as the EU condemned Russia's attack and sought to mobilize aid for Ukraine, Hungary and its president, Viktor Orban, have consistently impeded efforts on numerous fronts, blocking military aid, delaying the passing of sanctions and financial aid packages, and making statements saying that Russia has the right to defend its interests.

Orban has had close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, once naming Russia as a positive example of an "illiberal" system of government.

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