Hungarian PM announces deal with Ukraine on minority rights

Hungary and Ukraine have finalized a significant agreement aimed at enhancing the rights of the Hungarian minority residing in Ukraine. The deal, announced by Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, promises to expand language, education, cultural, and political rights for the estimated 100,000-strong Hungarian community in Ukraine.

Magyar revealed the agreement on Facebook during a visit to France, stating it was the outcome of several weeks of intensive, expert-level negotiations between Hungary and Ukraine. Political organizations and churches representing the Transcarpathian Hungarian community also participated in the talks. The Prime Minister expressed his great pleasure in announcing the accord just before Hungary's Day of National Cohesion, a day commemorating the 1920 Treaty of Trianon.

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With great pleasure, I can announce that the Ukrainian government has committed to implementing the agreed-upon measures into its legal system in the near future, and thanks to this, our Transcarpathian compatriots will have much broader educational, cultural, language, and political rights than before.

According to Magyar, the Ukrainian government has committed to integrating the agreed-upon measures into its legal system soon. This implementation will grant the Transcarpathian Hungarians considerably broader rights than they currently possess. Magyar also mentioned that he was prepared to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy if an agreement on these fundamental human rights was reached, signaling a potential new chapter in Hungarian-Ukrainian relations.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged that the EU's stance on Ukraine is complicated for Budapest due to the Hungarian minority issue. However, he stressed that this should not hinder the EU's support for Ukraine or its official accession talks with Kyiv.

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Budapest is ready to open a new chapter in Hungarian-Ukrainian relations.