We hope that it is not naive optimism to suspect that the servant of the Ukrainian people will finally get out of the war psychosis of the past year and a half, where the Hungarians of the Transcarpathians who were conscripted are expected to give their lives for Ukraine, but their children are Ukrainianized. Written by László Szőcs.
Vaszil Balog, a local young man who died in the war, was buried in Transcarpathia on Wednesday. Sergeant Kázmér Csalló, who was a grandfather, was sent away a long time ago - his daughter proudly told our colleague Bors that the man, who always declared himself Hungarian and was loyal to his homeland, did not run away from conscription, but bravely took up arms, even though he did not consider the Russian-Ukrainian war to be a war for Hungarians . These men - as well as the unfortunately increasing number of dead Transcarpathian soldiers and those who emigrated forever - could no longer see Volodymyr Zelenskiy visiting Transcarpathia, who - according to his words - took part in a meeting of this format with representatives of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine for the first time.
The Ukrainian president was not in a hurry to do this - he is now in his fifth year in office - but let's be optimistic: the visit to Beregsász can be good for the Transcarpathian Hungarians and also in terms of the end of the war.
In Z. Beregszász, he said the usual polite phrases at this time, he described the common fate and interdependence of the Hungarians and Ukrainians (meaning: Rusyns who were largely elucidated), thanking them for the provision of the refugees from the eastern parts of the country to Transcarpathia. These are nice words, and let's not underestimate gestures that go beyond protocol in diplomacy, even if of course we remember well the removal of the Münkacsi monument. And also to the fact that at the inauguration of the Ukrainian symbol erected in its place, mayor Andrij Baloga educated the Hungarians: tolerance does not mean that they are free to do everything...
Certainly not everything - that much is already sacred. The Kyiv parliament recently granted a one-year reprieve until September 2024 for the transition of around a hundred Hungarian schools in Transcarpathia to Ukrainian. This is good news compared to what has been planned for now, but looking at it from that point of view, the fact that something like this is even possible in a country that is trying to join the European Union is amazing.
The Transcarpathian Hungarians of the conscripts are expected to give their lives for Ukraine, but their children are Ukrainianized.
Our German guest publicist recently wrote about it: more than a quarter of a century ago, during the Horn government, he himself was a member of the Bundestag delegation visiting Hungary, which expected a better nationality policy from the Hungarians in exchange for German support for our EU membership. It cannot be otherwise in the case of the Ukrainians.
Still, it is cause for optimism that Z. has just discovered Beregszász, where the proportion of Hungarians is much higher than the county seat in Ungvár. We hope that it is not naive optimism to suspect that the servant of the Ukrainian people will finally get out of the war psychosis of the last year and a half; that is why he visited the often-forgotten, western tip of his country.
As the leader of a country that aspires to join NATO and the EU, you could also think about it - or if not, it is highly recommended - that four of its seven neighbors, including our country, are members of both organizations. And one day the time will come to an end, when in his khaki molino he gives training speeches to the leaders of these countries to give him money, money, and weapons, but immediately.
In fact, it can be, that time is not so far away. Z. mentions the word peace more and more often, the Ukrainians are holding a conference in Saudi Arabia this weekend with dozens of countries, although not even the Russians, and they promise a global peace summit in the fall. The chariot is not doing well: the "big" Ukrainian counterattack is about as tight as Chernyenko was towards the end.
The more sane and realistic half of the world wants peace as soon as possible. We Hungarians want more than that: peace and a change in the fate of our Transcarpathian compatriots.
