Hungary’s Magyar to meet Zelensky for first time at upcoming EU summit
Magyar's announcement comes two days after Zelensky signed a law strengthening the educational rights of Ukraine's national minorities, a step Hungary had demanded before allowing Kyiv's EU accession talks to move forward.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar revealed his intention to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time at an upcoming EU summit in Brussels on October 16. Magyar announced the meeting in a post about his upcoming trip to Brussels, where EU leaders will convene on October 15-16 for discussions primarily centered on Ukraine.
On Friday, Magyar will hold his inaugural bilateral meeting with Zelensky. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Kyiv is prepared for such a meeting, though they have not yet established a specific time and location. Zelensky has not yet confirmed the meeting. The announcement follows closely after Zelensky signed a law reinforcing educational rights for Ukraine's national minorities, a demand Hungary had previously made to advance Ukraine's EU accession talks.
The law grants additional rights to Ukraine's Hungarian-speaking minority and other EU-language minorities, though Ukrainian officials maintain it formalizes existing rights without substantial practical alterations. Approximately 80,000 ethnic Hungarians reside in Ukraine's western Zakarpattia Oblast. When Hungary blocked Ukraine's EU accession process under the former pro-Kremlin Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Magyar's election victory and his pro-European stance under the Tisza party have fostered more constructive dialogue with Kyiv.
However, Magyar has made it clear that cooperation remains conditional. In the summer, Hungarian and Ukrainian officials signed an agreement on educational, linguistic, and cultural rights for Ukraine's Hungarian minority, and Hungary lifted its veto on Ukraine's EU accession talks, opening the first negotiating clusters. Hungary subsequently blocked further clusters, pending Ukrainian compliance with the agreement's terms, particularly education.
The new language law should pave the way for increased cooperation between Hungary and Ukraine ahead of the Brussels summit and the Magyar-Zelensky meeting, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
