A long-awaited meeting took place on Monday in Budapest, where Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó welcomed his newly appointed Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha.

According to the ministry’s press release, Szijjártó began by congratulating Sybiha on his appointment and expressed his appreciation that Budapest was selected as the venue for his first official visit abroad, despite the fact that scheduling issues had prevented it from taking place.

He then reiterated that Hungary maintains its pro-peace stance regarding the war in Ukraine, emphasizing that only a diplomatic solution can end the suffering of millions of people and hundreds of thousand of families. ‘Hungary supports all international initiatives that hold the potential to achieve peace as soon as possible, and we endorse any efforts that provide hope for ending this war through negotiations and diplomacy,’ he stated. Szijjártó further noted: ‘I assured my counterpart that Hungary will continue the largest humanitarian operation in its history for as long as necessary to support individuals and families facing hardship.’

He noted that the number of refugees from the neighbouring country has already surpassed 1.4 million, and that 14.855 Ukrainian children have been provided with opportunities to attend summer camps. He also highlighted that the Hungarian government has already allocated HUF 66 billion in aid to Ukraine. Furthermore, hundreds of schools and kindergartens across Hungary continue to educate the children of refugee families, and a bilingual school specifically for Ukrainian students has been established in Budapest.

‘Hungary is ready to take part in the reconstruction of Ukraine, and this is not merely a rhetorical statement; it is a reality. We have been, and continue to be, engaged in reconstruction efforts even during the war, contributing to the restoration of educational, healthcare, and public administration institutions,’ he pointed out.

Szijjártó emphasized Hungary’s crucial role in supporting Ukraine’s energy security through the supply of natural gas and electricity.

‘Since the outbreak of the war, more than three billion cubic metres of natural gas have been delivered to Ukraine through Hungary. Furthermore, since June, Hungary has become the largest source of electricity imports for Ukraine. During the summer, 45 per cent of Ukraine’s total electricity imports came through Hungary,’

he stated.

‘Hungary is ready to take part in the reconstruction of Ukraine, and this is not merely a rhetorical statement; it is a reality’

‘Hungary is prepared to further develop border crossing infrastructure. The good news is that this year we will be able to open a new border crossing point between Nagyhódos and Nagypalád. We are also ready to carry out the necessary upgrades to increase the capacity of the Beregsurány border crossing and to construct the new Tisza bridge. With government support, a major transhipment station has been established at Fényeslitke at a cost of nearly HUF 50 billion, capable of handling the equivalent of one million container units of goods annually, and processing between one and three million tonnes of grain and edible oil per year,’ Szijjártó listed. ‘I also reiterated our willingness to establish a cross-border business development zone along the Hungarian-Ukrainian border,’ he added.

Solving Disputed Issues

The Hungarian FM also addressed contentious issues, emphasising that Hungarian-Ukrainian cooperation and relations should be founded on mutual goodwill and respect. ‘Therefore, we respectfully expect Ukraine to restore the rights of the Hungarian national community, particularly in terms of access to their mother tongue, education, culture, and public administration,’ he stated. ‘We have presented eleven specific proposals to the Ukrainian government to address this issue. Working groups have been established to discuss these proposals, and we have agreed to expedite their efforts,’ he added.

Szijjártó asked his counterpart to ensure that, just as Hungary ensures the full capacity of energy supplies to Ukraine, Kiev should refrain from unilateral, sudden steps in the future, which could jeopardize the energy security of Hungary. ‘I also asked the minister to ensure that there is no negative discrimination against Hungarian companies operating in Ukraine,’ he said.

‘Our meeting convinced me that we have every reason to hope that the will to develop neighbourly relations is mutual, and that it is common that these neighbourly relations can, over time, develop into good neighbourly relations. Hungary has an interest in this, and the Hungarian government is doing everything in its power to make this happen,’ he concluded.

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