Hungary's consent to the opening of negotiation clusters for Ukraine is possible only after Kyiv guarantees the fulfillment of the 11 conditions regarding the Hungarian national minority in Ukraine set by Budapest during the previous government of Viktor Orban.
Points of attention
- Hungary requires Ukraine to fulfill 11 demands regarding the Hungarian national minority before proceeding with opening negotiation clusters.
- The issue of linguistic, cultural, and educational rights of Hungarians in Ukraine is a key focus in the negotiations between Hungary and Ukraine.
Magyars want Ukraine to fulfill Orban's 11 demands
This was stated by Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar after a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on May 29.
Magyar demands guarantees from Ukraine of fulfilling 11 demands on national minorities before Hungary agrees to open negotiation clusters for Kyiv.
The Prime Minister recalled that he has repeatedly emphasized in the media the direct connection between the opening of clusters for Ukraine and resolving the issues of the Hungarian minority.
In fact, the most important thing for us is that we want to receive a guarantee that the Hungarians, who live in Ukraine in the amount of one hundred thousand people, will again be able to use their native language... in school, in the cultural sphere, in the administration.
Peter Magyar
Prime Minister of Hungary
We have an 11-point proposal that is not new to the Ukrainian government. It typically deals with educational, cultural and linguistic rights. We expect the Ukrainian government to implement it.
He stressed that "this is nothing special" — in Europe and other parts of the world, minorities "can use their native language — whether it's an orphan, a student, a mayor, or someone else."
Magyar stated that the technical level of negotiations with Ukraine is "very promising," and several stages of negotiations have already passed.
"We are in technical contact with the Ukrainian side. And I really hope that we will be able to close this 11-point proposal soon," the Hungarian Prime Minister added, emphasizing that Ukraine must provide guarantees for the implementation of each of these points.
