Ukraine expects to make contact with the new Hungarian authorities and is ready to build good-neighborly relations.
This was stated to journalists by Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha.
In his view, Ukraine has received “good European news” from Hungary, which opens new opportunities and allows the beginning of a new chapter of mutual relations.
“Our peoples deserve such relations. We are open. We want this and have already sent signals about relevant contacts at the level of the President of Ukraine and, accordingly, Mr. Magyar. We are ready for this dialogue immediately, without delay, to build proper good-neighborly relations. We are waiting for this contact and, of course, we are interested. We are awaiting the Hungarian side’s response,” the Foreign Minister said.
According to him, Ukraine and Hungary have a broad range of issues, from border infrastructure to cooperation on the European track. This includes Ukraine’s EU membership, Hungary lifting its veto on this issue, approval of the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia, and a €90 billion macro-financial loan for Ukraine. Kyiv will also raise the issue of returning funds belonging to Oschadbank that were withheld in Hungary on March 6.
“In other words, we have a very broad agenda. And I would like to reaffirm that Ukraine is ready to implement — and this is also in our interest — the highest standards of both the Council of Europe and the European Union regarding national minorities. We have also conveyed this signal to the Hungarian side and remain open to dialogue,” Sybiha noted.
