© EPA/ Tibor Illyes Simultaneously, the primary condition for establishing ties in Budapest was once more defined as “the rights of the Hungarian minority.”
The chief of the Hungarian Tisza political group, which secured a supermajority in the nation’s parliament during Sunday's elections, Peter Magyar, expressed his backing for the European Union granting Ukraine a 90 billion euro credit, yet he opposes Ukraine’s expedited entry into the EU. He communicated this at a Monday press briefing.
As reported by Telex, he pointed out that the understanding entails a commitment to abstain from contributing resources to Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, a matter of significance to him since “the country is in a very precarious fiscal state.” Magyar further stated that “this matter should not be revisited, but rather implemented as originally agreed upon in December.”
Concerning Ukraine’s entry into the European Union, as per the Hungarian statesman, “the EU will find it untenable to admit a nation currently engaged in conflict.” He asserts that “all prospective member nations must undergo an identical procedure,” and he desires to conduct a plebiscite within Hungary upon its culmination. Magyar further mentioned that he does not foresee this occurring “within the forthcoming decade.”
The “Tysy” leader appended that his administration aspires to have allied, and potentially amicable, rapport with each neighboring nation.
“The “Tysy” government will endeavor to establish allied, and if feasible, cordial relations with all adjacent nations, primarily owing to Hungary’s encirclement by individuals of Hungarian descent, thus rendering it fundamentally in our interest to foster positive connections with neighboring countries,” according to The Guardian’s reporting.
He did not preclude the chance of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but refrained from guaranteeing a trip to Kyiv: “We shall undoubtedly convene, be it elsewhere or at the European Council.”
Magyar further underscored that “everyone in Hungary acknowledges Ukraine’s status as a casualty in this war,” and further indicated that no external entity possesses the prerogative to stipulate the conditions upon which Ukraine ought to seek peace following the hostilities. He characterized this as “dire and equivocal,” given that “no one would relinquish Hungarian provinces.”
Concurrently, mirroring his predecessors, he identified the resolution of the Hungarian minority’s entitlements as an essential prerequisite for normalizing relations with Ukraine. Magyar elaborated that, in his assessment, Kyiv comprehends this, yet failed to attain a mutual perspective with the prior Hungarian administration.
With 98.94% of the ballots tabulated, the Tisza party, helmed by Peter Magyar, has clinched a resounding triumph in Hungary's parliamentary elections, displacing Orbán and the Fidesz party. Tisza commands 138 of the 199 seats in parliament, thereby holding a supermajority.
Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga had already affirmed Kyiv’s receptiveness to discourse and its conveyance of signals to the incoming Hungarian administration pertaining to initiating dialogue, notably at the leadership echelon. Ukraine anticipates the deblocking of an EU-provided loan, assistance in Ukraine’s European integration endeavors, and supplementary collaboration, particularly concerning national minorities and border infrastructure. The operational status of the Druzhba oil conduit has not yet been referenced in Kyiv.
The epoch of Viktor Orban has drawn to a close within Hungary. His Fidesz party endured a substantial setback, and the Kremlin forfeited its principal confederate in Europe. However, does the triumph of the opposition party Tisza and its leader Peter Magyar assure an amelioration in Hungary’s rapport with Ukraine? Petro Gerasimenko, in his article “How Putin Lost His Hungarian “Mouse”: What Orban's Defeat Means for Ukraine and Europe,” scrutinizes the factors underlying Orban’s downfall and its implications for Kyiv and Brussels.