Hungary and Ukraine Agree to Reset Relations After Brussels Talks

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met one-on-one in Brussels on Friday and agreed to place their bilateral relations on a new footing. Magyar described the encounter as his first official bilateral meeting with Zelensky.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a European Council summit. Magyar wrote on Facebook that he assured Zelensky of his full solidarity over the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which has continued for nearly five years. He added that Hungary is ready to assist by all possible diplomatic means to reach a ceasefire and lasting peace.

Zelensky called the talks "very good" and said the two leaders discussed relations, the economy, logistics and Ukraine's progress toward EU membership. He stated that he would not mind visiting Budapest. Both sides agreed to continue consultations at ministerial level, with particular attention to the situation of national minorities in each country.

The meeting followed concrete steps earlier in the week. On 12 October Ukraine's parliament passed legislation expanding education rights in minority languages that are official EU languages. Zelensky signed the law the same day. The next day the EU opened negotiations on two additional accession clusters after Hungary dropped its previous objections. That brought the total open clusters to four out of six. Cluster 1 on fundamentals had opened on 15 June and Cluster 6 on external relations on 14 July. Kyiv aims to open the remaining two before the end of 2026.

Magyar welcomed the political agreement on strengthening the rights of the ethnic Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia. He called the Verkhovna Rada's adoption of the minority education law and the start of its implementation a first step toward restoring mutual trust. He also thanked the Ukrainian parliament for a September resolution concerning crimes against Hungarians in Zakarpattia in 1944-46, including forced labour and mass deportation.

Relations between the two neighbours had been strained under former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán. Orbán's government had linked progress on Ukraine's EU accession to the rights of the roughly 100,000 ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine and had blocked further clusters. Magyar's government, which took office after the Tisza Party's election victory in spring 2026, kept the linkage until the new law passed. Magyar has described the legislation as fulfilling commitments reached at expert level and as beneficial also to other national minorities in Ukraine, including Romanians and Poles.

Zelensky thanked Magyar for the solidarity and for the opening of the two clusters. He said work continues to open the remaining ones by year-end. The leaders discussed trade and agricultural products as well. Magyar has previously said Hungary will not send weapons or troops to Ukraine but supports diplomatic efforts toward peace.

Further high-level contact is expected. Magyar has mentioned the possibility of a later meeting in Berehove in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have indicated interest in Zelensky attending events around the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution on 23 October. Ministerial teams will work out dates for reciprocal visits.

The shift matters for EU policy. Hungary had been the main member state blocking faster accession progress. With two more clusters open, Ukraine can advance technical work on the remaining chapters while the war continues. Whether the new tone produces sustained cooperation on minority rights implementation and economic ties will depend on the follow-up talks the leaders agreed to hold.