Hungary's Magyar hopeful that 'technical talks' on minority rights in Ukraine will wrap up this week
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Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on June 2 that "technical-level" talks with Kyiv on linguistic and cultural rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine could conclude this week, in a positive signal for Ukraine's EU bid.
If an agreement is reached, Magyar is ready to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky as early as next week, the Hungarian prime minister said during an official visit to Berlin.
Previously, Budapest signaled that it would not greenlight Ukraine's formal EU accession talks until Kyiv addresses its 11 demands regarding the cultural, linguistic, and educational rights of the Hungarian national community in western Ukraine.
Speaking at a joint press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Magyar said that the progress in talks with Ukraine has been "encouraging."
"I am very optimistic that we will be able to resolve this dispute with Ukraine... and that we are ready to open a new chapter in Hungarian-Ukrainian relations," the Hungarian prime minister said.
Should Hungary and Ukraine reach an agreement, the EU could open the first negotiations cluster with Ukraine as early as June 15, officials and diplomats previously told the Kyiv Independent.
However, Kyiv has revealed little detail about the progress of the negotiations or a potential meeting between Zelensky and Magyar.
"Consultations are ongoing; we are working toward a constructive outcome," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry told journalists.
Kyiv's effort to join the EU has been blocked for months by Hungary's pro-Kremlin former prime minister, Viktor Orban.
Orban's defeat in the April parliamentary elections by Magyar's Tisza party has raised hopes in Kyiv and Brussels that Ukraine's accession talks could resume soon. However, the new Hungarian prime minister largely maintained the same demands regarding the Hungarian minority as his predecessor.
At the same time, Magyar has pivoted away from Orban's Kremlin-friendly views, denouncing Russian aggression against Ukraine while seeking closer ties with the EU.
