Hungary said Tuesday it declined to join a regional cooperation initiative launched by neighbouring Ukraine, in a sign of lingering tensions following the departure of Viktor Orban’s Russia-friendly government.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday opened the first Carpathian Summit in western Ukraine, saying that representatives from seven regional countries participated, including Hungary.
But the central European country’s foreign ministry denied that it joined the grouping, which Zelensky has said is focussed on economic cooperation and security.
“Hungary is not a member of the Carpathian Eight regional cooperation initiative launched by President Zelensky, but is closely monitoring its establishment and further development,” it said in a statement sent to AFP.
“On the Hungarian side, the event was observed on site by Adam Cegledi, acting charge d’affaires at the embassy in Kyiv. Hungary did not sign the declaration adopted at the forum,” the ministry added.
Kyiv and Budapest have been trying for months to improve ties after Hungary’s pro-EU Prime Minister Peter Magyar took office in May.
He succeeded Kremlin-friendly nationalist Orban, whose government frequently clashed with neighbouring Ukraine.
Magyar’s government has not publicly stated a reason for staying out of the group.
Ukraine and Hungary have long disagreed about the rights of the Hungarian ethnic minority in Ukraine.
The countries had reached a deal on that issue in June, prompting Budapest to stop blocking the start of EU membership negotiations with Kyiv.
But Hungary has since blocked progress on accession talks, accusing Ukraine of not implementing that agreement.
Regarding the Carpathian group gathering, Magyar told parliament: “We were invited, but we didn’t go, and for good reason.”
Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiga said Kyiv was “surprised by the Hungarian Prime Minister’s unnecessarily confrontational statements toward Ukraine”, in a message on X.
“The reasons for such a categorical rejection on Hungary’s part remain unknown,” he added.
“It seems that while Viktor Orban is gone, his policies of obstructionism and isolationism continue to thrive.”
A senior politician from Hungary’s ruling party, Marton Hajdu, responded on X that Hungary has “done a lot of heavy lifting already” to improve relations, and “now it’s time for Ukraine to deliver.”
