Budapest — Ukraine’s new foreign minister held a “frank” conversation with his Hungarian counterpart on “difficult issues” on Monday, against a backdrop of a frosty relationship between the neighboring countries.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been the only EU leader to maintain close ties with the Kremlin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
He has repeatedly stalled efforts to punish Moscow and to aid war-torn Ukraine in its fight against the invading forces.
Budapest refuses to approve the release of more than $7.25 billion to Kyiv, complaining about discriminatory measures against Hungarian companies.
“We had a very frank one-on-one conversation discussing difficult issues, among other things,” Andriy Sybiga told reporters after a meeting with Hungary’s top diplomat, Peter Szijjarto, in Budapest.
The negotiations between the two ministers “lasted about an hour, twice as long as planned,” according to a statement from the Ukrainian ministry.
Speaking at a press conference, Sybiga welcomed Orban’s first visit to Kyiv at the beginning of July and called for “the development of bilateral relations,” saying he could “count on Budapest’s support” in its EU integration process.
“Our meeting today has convinced me that … there is a mutual and common will to develop neighborly relations,” Szijjarto added.
But Hungary’s foreign minister also urged Kyiv to refrain from “unilateral, sudden steps” that could “pose a challenge” to the central European country’s energy supply.
In July, Budapest accused Kyiv of threatening its energy security by barring Russian energy giant Lukoil from using the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline.
Earlier this month, Hungarian energy company MOL made a deal guaranteeing the supply of Russian oil.
The two ministers also agreed to accelerate efforts by an intergovernmental working group set up to address a long-running feud over minority rights in Transcarpathia, a western Ukrainian region home to an ethnic Hungarian community.
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