Hungary Preparing PM Orban’s Visit to Ukraine

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with Croatian TV channel H1, which was broadcast on Sunday, that Hungary is preparing for Prime Minister Viktor Orban's visit to Ukraine and hopes for dialogue with Ukraine.

Szijjarto gave this interview during his recent visit to Zagreb. The interview was also posted on Szijjarto’s Facebook account.

"When we see that all preliminary conditions are created, the visit will take place. But now we are at a stage of technical preparation," he noted.

Szijjarto indicated that the Hungarian prime minister spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the latter attended the EU summit on February 9.

"WE are always ready for dialogue [with Ukraine]. We hope the dialogue will make sense," he added.

The Hungarian newspaper Nepszava reported earlier that during his short meeting with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the EU summit, Orban received an invitation to visit Kyiv.

Unlike other EU leaders, the Hungarian prime minister has not visited the Ukrainian capital since the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. 

Hungarian President Katalin Novak visited Ukraine in November 2022.

Meanwhile, the head of Orban’s office Gergely Gulyas mentioned that the prime minister's visit to Kyiv will depend on progress in the process of restoring the right of ethnic Hungarians to Ukraine's Zakarpattia region.