EditBudapest and Kyiv seek reset after Hungarian rebuke of Russia
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he had agreed with his Hungarian counterpart Anita Orbán to hold a new round of bilateral consultations
Hungary and Ukraine will begin expert-level consultations this week in a sign of easing tensions between the two neighbours after years of strained relations over minority rights and Budapest’s close ties with Moscow.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he had agreed with his Hungarian counterpart Anita Orbán to hold a new round of bilateral consultations aimed at resolving disputes surrounding the Hungarian minority in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region.
Speaking after a telephone conversation with Orbán, Sybiha said Kyiv was ready “without delay” to open “a new, mutually beneficial chapter” in relations with Budapest.
“We are ready to cooperate with the new Hungarian government on all issues on our bilateral agenda, including national minorities, in order to restore trust and good neighbourly relations between our countries,” Sybiha said, according to European Pravda.
The ministers agreed to hold expert-level consultations later this week to seek “practical and reliable solutions” for the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, a long-standing source of friction between the two countries. They also discussed broader regional and European issues, including Ukraine’s EU accession process.
“I once again emphasised our readiness to open negotiating clusters as soon as possible,” Sybiha added.
The diplomatic outreach comes only days after a sharp shift in Budapest’s foreign policy tone towards Kremlin.
On 13 May, Anita Orbán publicly condemned a large-scale Russian drone attack on Ukraine that also affected the western Transcarpathia region, where a sizeable ethnic Hungarian community lives.
Hungary’s new government breaks with Orbán era after condemning Russian strike on Transcarpathia
In a video statement, the Hungarian foreign minister said Russian drones had struck energy and transport infrastructure near Svaliava and Uzhhorod.
“The Russian drone attack is ongoing,” Anita Orbán said. “We are aware of five drone strikes – two near Svaliava and one in Uzhhorod. The strike in Svaliava hit a transformer and a railway station, while the strike in Uzhhorod targeted an industrial facility.”
“We strongly condemn the attack and hope that nobody was injured,” she added, noting that the Hungarian government would discuss the situation at cabinet level.
The statement marked a rare direct criticism of Moscow from Budapest, which under former prime minister Viktor Orbán had often opposed tougher EU measures against Russia and military assistance to Ukraine.
A day later, Hungary summoned Russian ambassador Yevgeny Stanislavov to protest against the shelling of Transcarpathia. It was the first time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion that Budapest had called in the Russian envoy over attacks on Ukrainian territory.
The original article in Ukrainian by EUalive’s partner European pravda can be found here.
Caption: Ukrainian Minister for Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha looks on during a press conference before a high-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children in Brussels, Belgium, 11 May 2026. The event gathers ministers and senior representatives from around 50 countries and international organisations to further support Ukraine’s efforts to trace, return, and reintegrate the children that were forcibly transferred and unlawfully deported by Russia, while ensuring accountability for Russia’s actions. EPA/OLIVIER MATTHYS
Updated: May 18, 2026 - 15:37
