Hungary to block €2 billion in EU aid over claims of "discrimination of communities" in Ukraine

Budapest will block the aid of the European Union to Ukraine in the amount of 2 billion euros because the "discrimination of the Hungarian communities" has not stopped in Ukraine, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjarto said, according to Index.

According to him, until the situation changes, the provision of assistance will not be endorsed.

"Hungary's position remains unchanged: until we receive guarantees from the Ukrainian side that they will stop hunting Hungarian companies, we will not be able to facilitate the adoption of such decisions," Szijjarto stressed.

During the meeting in Uzhhorod, which took place on January 29, 2024, Szijjarto stated that the Hungarian side formulated an 11-point request to Ukraine regarding the rights of national minorities.

The Hungarian foreign minister also spoke about the process of restoring trust between states, which may take a long time. He believes that there is a "long way ahead to restore trust between the countries".

On March 5, Szijjarto stated that the response document sent by the Ukrainian government did not contain any progress regarding the full restoration of the rights of the Hungarian minority of Transcarpathia, which it had until 2015. According to him, the meeting of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not take place until Kyiv "reinstates" these rights.