Hungarian Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a meeting in early June in the Hungarian-majority town of Berehove (Beregszász) in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region.
After receiving Berehove Mayor Zoltán Babják in Budapest, the leader of the incoming Tisza government said they agreed it is in the ‘interest of Hungarians living in Transcarpathia’ to place Hungarian–Ukrainian relations on ‘new foundations’. He added that the planned meeting with Zelenskyy aims to ‘improve the situation of Hungarians in Transcarpathia’ and to support their ability to remain in their homeland.
Magyar called on Ukraine to ‘put an end’ to restrictions on minority rights and to ensure that Transcarpathian Hungarians ‘regain all their cultural, linguistic, administrative, and higher education rights’, allowing them to once again become ‘equal and respected citizens’ of Ukraine. ‘This would also help ensure that, once the war has ended, as many Hungarians from Transcarpathia as possible can return to their homeland,’ he added.
The prime minister-elect acknowledged that Kyiv has taken some steps in the right direction, but argued that ‘higher education in Ukraine remains monolingual, final examinations are conducted in Ukrainian, and there has been no meaningful change in other areas of official language use.’
He stressed that official language use remains limited to Ukrainian in public administration, courts, and official procedures, meaning the Hungarian minority cannot request services in their mother tongue, even in majority-Hungarian settlements.
He also pointed to continued restrictions in public life and culture, noting that while Hungarian-language events and media outlets are allowed to operate, they are subject to quotas and burdensome administrative requirements. ‘In public appearances, officials—such as school principals or mayors—are still not free to use their mother tongue,’ Magyar wrote in a post on X.
I am initiating consultations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in early June in Transcarpathia.
— Magyar Péter (Ne féljetek) (@magyarpeterMP) April 28, 2026
I received Zoltán Babják, Mayor of Berehove, in my office, who briefed me on the situation of Hungarians in Transcarpathia and the horrors of the war.
We agreed that it… pic.twitter.com/Wwx6a2DwmX
Restrictions on minority rights have long strained Hungarian–Ukrainian relations. Tensions escalated in 2017, when Ukraine adopted an education law gradually replacing minority-language instruction with Ukrainian from the fifth grade onward, significantly affecting Transcarpathian Hungarians. Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó at the time said Kyiv had ‘stabbed Hungary in the back,’ while Budapest responded by blocking high-level NATO–Ukraine meetings.
The dispute deepened with Ukraine’s 2019 language law, which mandated the use of Ukrainian in most areas of public life. More recently, Kyiv has signalled plans to further tighten enforcement by increasing fines for violations.
‘If we can resolve these issues, we can certainly open a new chapter in Hungarian–Ukrainian bilateral relations,’ Magyar said, encouraging Kyiv to ‘take bold steps’ in line with ‘European values and genuine freedom and equality’.
Zelenskyy previously congratulated Magyar and the Tisza Party on their electoral victory and signalled openness to dialogue with the incoming Hungarian government.
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