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Hungarian foreign minister outlines what is needed for Zelenskyy to meet Orbán

Friday, 8 December 2023, 00:32
Hungarian foreign minister outlines what is needed for Zelenskyy to meet Orbán
Péter Szijjártó. Stock photo: Getty Images

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has said Budapest has no objection to a meeting between Viktor Orbán and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but it should be preceded by "proper preparation".

Source: Szijjártó in a comment to ATV, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Commenting on a conversation he had with Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, the Hungarian minister agreed that the countries "absolutely need to improve relations", and the best way to do this is for "the parties to talk to each other directly".

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Although Szijjártó confirmed that Yermak had called for a high-level meeting between Ukraine and Hungary, he stated that "it most likely will not take place without proper preparation".

But early next week, he hopes to have a face-to-face meeting in Brussels with the "Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister"—he did not name who specifically, but it is likely to be Olha Stefanishyna.

Hungary is known to systematically block the adoption of any Ukraine-related decisions at EU leaders' meetings, ranging from the start of negotiations to the approval of €50 billion of macro-financial assistance.

On 7 December, French President Emmanuel Macron invited the Hungarian Prime Minister to a meeting to find a compromise regarding the start of EU membership negotiations with Ukraine.

Media reports say the EU states have yet to reach agreement on the wording of the EU summit’s final decision due to Budapest’s opposition.

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