Hungary’s top diplomat has urged Kiev to respect the rights of national minorities
Ukraine’s poor treatment of ethnic Hungarians is the root cause of tense relations between the neighboring countries, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said.
According to various estimates, between 100,000 and 150,000 ethnic Hungarians live in Ukraine’s western Zakarpattia region. Over the past decade, Kiev has adopted laws restricting the use of non-Ukrainian languages in education and public life. These policies have drawn criticism from Budapest and prompted accusations of discrimination.
In an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti published on Monday, Szijjarto said tensions with Ukraine go beyond the ongoing conflict with Russia.
“Right now we have very bad bilateral relations with Ukraine, which have nothing to do with the ongoing war,” he said. “These bad relations emerged about ten years ago when the Ukrainian government began violating the rights of national minorities.”
“We hope one day Ukraine will have an administration that respects minorities and restores their rights,” Szijjarto added.
Hungarian officials have also protested the forced conscription of ethnic Hungarians into the Ukrainian military, along with alleged cases of violence by draft officers. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Viktor Orban blamed the Ukrainian army for the death of Jozsef Sebestyen, a 45-year-old ethnic Hungarian who had been drafted. The Ukrainian military stated that Sebestyen died of a medical condition and showed no signs of violence. Nevertheless, Hungary has requested that the EU impose sanctions on three Ukrainian officials involved in mobilization efforts.
A Hungarian church in Zakarpattia was also set on fire earlier this year, prompting condemnation from Hungarian authorities.
Orban has opposed Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO and the EU, arguing that such moves risk triggering a full-scale war with Russia. He has also refused to send weapons to Kiev and continues to advocate for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
Ukraine has denied the allegations of discrimination but maintains that a comprehensive treaty with Budapest is not possible without Hungarian support for its NATO membership bid.
