Zelenskyy aide Yermak talks to Hungarian FM, signals openness to improving bilateral ties

Hungary and Ukraine are open to an open dialogue regarding the discussion of bilateral relations, said the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, according to the press service of the President's Office with reference to a telephone conversation between the head of the administration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto.

On January 11, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oleg Nikolenko, informed LIGA.net that a meeting of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Zelenskyy's chief-of-staff with the Hungarian diplomat is planned for January 29 in Uzhhorod. According to the presidency, on Friday Yermak and Szjjarto discussed the preparation of this meeting.

"We are ready for an open dialogue regarding the discussion of bilateral relations between our states," Yermak stated.

The official also thanked Szijjarto for Hungary's participation in the meeting of national security advisers and foreign policy advisers of the countries regarding the implementation of the Peace Formula, which took place in Davos.

On December 21, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that he approved President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's invitation to hold a bilateral meeting "at some point in the future," but "only one question remains to be clarified: what [to discuss]?"

According to the Deputy Head of the Office of the President Ihor Zhovkva, the potential negotiations will concern bilateral relations between Ukraine and Hungary – "this is a wide spectrum, and it is not limited to the issues of national minorities."

On December 11, 2023, for the first time since the beginning of the all-out war, FM Dmytro Kuleba met with his Hungarian colleague Peter Szijjarto at a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the European Union.

Hungarian Prime Minister Orban has repeatedly stated that Budapest opposes the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the bloc. However, on December 14, the European Council decided to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. Orban left the hall during the vote.

The next day, Orban vetoed the allocation of 50 billion euros to support Ukraine from the EU. According to the FT, EU member states may deprive Hungary of the right to vote to approve the aid package.

On Thursday, the head of the Hungarian Prime Minister's administration Gergely Gulyás said that the agreement with the EU on new long-term financing of Ukraine "is still a long way off", but this problem "can be solved by 2026".