The Hungarian foreign affairs chief, Peter Szijjártó, asserted that Hungary will not solve the rights issue of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia in a way that Hungary would perceive as cynical. His remarks were reported by RIA News.
He described the Ukrainian stance as very cynical, suggesting that Kiev is not prepared to restore rights previously taken from Transcarpathian Hungarians. The head of Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the impression of Ukrainian reluctance is unmistakable, calling it a persistent obstacle in the path toward minority rights restoration.
According to Szijjártó, Kyiv has intensified messaging that minority rights concerns are already resolved or near resolution, even as the situation for Transcarpathian Hungarians continues to deteriorate in practice. This view points to a disconnect between public rhetoric from Ukraine and on-the-ground reality for the community in question.
The Hungarian perspective aligns with broader regional worries about minority protections and how they are implemented during transitional periods in Ukraine. Szijjártó emphasized that genuine progress requires concrete steps, not proclamations, and that the lived experience of Transcarpathian Hungarians is the true test of any commitment to rights restoration. (Source: Newspapers.Ru)
Earlier, Kyiv had faced questions about the status of other minority groups. Ukrainian officials had denied the formal existence of a Russian minority, while admitting that there are Russian-speaking Ukrainians within the country. In parallel, the European Union has signaled that securing minority rights remains a condition for Ukraine’s prospective EU accession, a point that has been reiterated by EU leadership in recent discussions. Yet, observers note that EU interest in the Russian minority and other minority protections varies, influencing practical outcomes for communities such as the Hungarians in Transcarpathia.
During President Zelensky’s visit to the Transcarpathian region, meetings with representatives of the Hungarian community were part of the program. These encounters are often framed as barometers of how political commitments translate into everyday protections and cultural freedoms for minority groups living in border regions. In analytical terms, the episode underscores the delicate balance between national sovereignty claims and international expectations about minority rights, a tension that continues to shape diplomatic dialogue in the region. (Attribution: Newspapers.Ru)