Ukraine, Hungary to hold consultations on Hungarian minority

May 18 (Reuters) – Kyiv and Budapest will hold talks this week about the rights of Ukraine’s ethnic Hungarian minority, the countries’ foreign ministers said on Monday, as ​they look to rebuild ties following a change of ‌government in Hungary.

The new centre-right Hungarian government led by Prime Minister Peter Magyar does not share the hostility to Ukraine that characterised the administration of his nationalist predecessor Viktor Orban.

However, it opposes fast-track European Union accession ‌for ​Kyiv and says its treatment of ethnic ⁠Hungarians in western Ukraine ⁠will be key to improving the relationship between the countries.

Under Orban, Budapest had repeatedly clashed with Kyiv over what it says are curbs on the rights of roughly 150,000 ethnic ​Hungarians to use their native tongue.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday he had a “constructive and substantive” call with ⁠his Hungarian counterpart Anita Orban over ⁠the weekend.

The two foreign ministers agreed to hold ​a round of Hungarian–Ukrainian expert-level consultations this week “to find practical and ​robust solutions for the Hungarian minority”, Sybiha said.

“We are ‌prepared to work with the new Hungarian government on all issues of our bilateral agenda, including the national minority topic, with the aim of restoring trust and good-neighbourly relations between our ⁠countries,” he said on X.

Anita Orban, who is not related to Viktor Orban, said the first consultations between negotiating delegations would be held ⁠online, and could ‌begin as early as Tuesday.

“I trust that ⁠the dialogue will be constructive and productive, and ​that ‌the negotiations will soon bring tangible progress for ​the Hungarian ⁠community in Transcarpathia,” she wrote on X.

In April, Magyar proposed a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in western Ukraine to discuss the issue.

Last Wednesday, Hungary summoned Russia’s ambassador over a drone attack on western Ukraine.

(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka, Alan CharlishEditing by Alex ​Richardson, Peter Graff)