Ukraine's new Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha arrived in Budapest on Sept. 30 to meet his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto, his ministry has announced.
The ministers began talks in a one-on-one format, according to a statement posted on social media.
The two are expected to discuss the development of relations, the implementation of joint projects, including protection of the rights of national minorities, and Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO among other topics.
Budapest has repeatedly opposed Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU, sanctions on Russia, undermined Western aid efforts for Ukraine, and maintained close relations with Moscow throughout the full-scale war.
In June, Kyiv imposed sanctions blocking Lukoil, one of the largest oil companies in Russia, from transiting crude oil through the Druzhba pipeline running through Ukrainian territory, affecting supplies to Hungary.
The move aims to cut off one of the Kremlin's sources of income used to finance its war against Ukraine.
This is Sybiha's first trip to Hungary as foreign minister as part of his tour. In recent weeks, he visited Romania and Slovakia.
Sybiha's predecessor, Dmytro Kuleba, and head of the Presidential Office Andrii Yermak held several meeting with Szijjarto before Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Kyiv for the first time since the start of the full-scale war.
During his talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky in early July, Orban urged him to consider a ceasefire as a step toward peace, which Ukraine's president dismissed, saying it would only provide a window of opportunity for Russia to regroup its forces.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
