Some people in Kiev really believed that Hungary was a security threat.
Among the members of the Hungarian government, Levente Magyar is the one who has visited Ukraine the most since the outbreak of the war, and even visited Kiev. This is not an easy task in the midst of a rather tense relationship. The Hungarian Nation asked the deputy foreign minister about how he was received by our eastern neighbor, what the Hungarian-Ukrainian relationship is like, and whether he sees a chance for a settlement.
"I have indeed visited Ukraine quite a few times since the outbreak of the war, although I have not ventured further than Kiev.
Overall, Ukrainian-Hungarian relations are on the upswing: there are those who are in favor of political debates and continue to show openness and seek dialogue. Historically, however, there was no major disagreement between the two countries for a long time, and we were among the first to recognize their independence, which is still considered to be the case," said Levente Magyar, who said that until 2014, everything was fine as far as two neighboring Central European countries with a rich history were concerned. this can be said between
"The main reason for this is that the previous Ukrainian government treated minorities generously and fairly. Even if they didn't have the money to develop the Transcarpathian region, the Hungarians living there still lived in safety. This changed after 2014, when Hungarians also fell victim to the measures taken primarily against the Russians. On the other hand, neither the Transcarpathian Hungarians nor Hungary tolerated the deprivation of rights without saying a word," said the Deputy Foreign Minister, who
the conflict led to the point where some people in Kiev really believed that Hungary was a kind of security threat to Ukraine.
"In this mood, there was obviously little chance to understand each other. However, we have never given up our belief that existing problems can be dealt with," he added.
The deputy foreign minister also assessed whether there is a chance for Volodymyr Zelensky to meet Viktor Orbán in the near future.
"There has been talk for a long time that open issues should be settled at the highest level. In preparation for the Volodymyr Zelenskyi-Viktor Orbán meeting, we set the condition that we first agree on the way to settle the controversial issues on the table. We haven't gotten there yet, so the meeting would not be timely either, but we are working on it. The Ukrainians have now taken some steps to redress our grievances," he added.
According to Levente Magyar, the belligerent tone on the part of the Ukrainian side was already there before the war, only the war brought a deterioration in its quality.
"We attributed this to the heightened emotions, since Ukraine was obviously in a kind of panic in the first phase of the war, it was not even sure if it could stay standing. Therefore, there was no similarly sharp Hungarian reaction to the sometimes particularly rude outbursts of the Ukrainian leaders. By the way, the more confident Ukrainian attitude towards Hungary has been observed since 2014.
This can be attributed to the fact that they feel the support of almost the entire Western world behind them, and this has also increased their self-confidence," pointed out the deputy foreign minister, who said that many people might have thought that sooner or later Hungary would be left alone on the issue of Ukraine and would not be diplomatic consequences if they hit us. However, bilateral relations have never been defined by what some shout from across the border.
According to Levente Magyar, if we set aside the minority issue, then cooperation with almost all Ukrainian actors is excellent. "This is especially true for the Transcarpathian leadership, which understood that if we do not put controversial issues at the center of communication, then we can be successful. Even the worst periods did not start this joint work, we were able to isolate the cooperation with the Transcarpathians from the conflict between the capitals. The result of this is that we will soon open a new border crossing, or that Hungary is part of the development of an alternative transport corridor connecting Ukraine with the sea, one end of which is in Transcarpathia and the other in Italy".
Kyiv recently adopted a new law on minorities, but you can't break the champagne just yet, because Hungary doesn't see the guarantee of minority rights as a gesture for which it should be grateful, but as a minimum expectation.
"We have never created the illusion that we would settle for less than one hundred percent in terms of restoring minority rights. Still, the recently adopted package of laws in Kyiv is more than I could have hoped for in recent years. Based on the current political realities, the significance of the developments should not be underestimated, even if there is still work to be done. It is not even remotely possible that they would have perfectly assessed the needs of Transcarpathian Hungarians and would have completely remedied the problems. Meanwhile, it is obvious that the summit about Ukraine's accession to the EU and the next big financial package forced them to make the decision. They were aware that they could expect opposition from Hungary on both issues, that's why they tried to take some kind of positive step", assessed Levente Magyar, who said that with this step they have already taken about two-thirds of the way, only one-third has to be completed, and then bilateral relations will be poisoned. is removed.
According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Transcarpathia was not important to the previous Ukrainian leadership before 2014.
Not only a native of Eastern Ukraine, but even an average Kyivite did not have much idea of what life is like in this remote corner of Ukraine. "I would venture that this situation has not changed much. However, people now have false ideas that some kind of Hungarian dominance prevails in Transcarpathia. However, this was not true even when Hungarians were at the height of their power. According to the most recent survey in 2001, the community numbered 150-160 thousand, which was only a good 10 percent even in Transcarpathia. It is incomprehensible why the leadership of Ukraine, with a population of more than 45 million people, thought that leaving the "Hungarian issue" of nationally marginal significance unsettled is worth a long political debate with Hungary," he added, emphasizing: if it does not assume that there were interested parties in the conflict from the beginning,
perhaps what happened was that when they started down the path of restricting minority rights aimed primarily at Russians after 2014, they didn't even realize what problems this could lead to in terms of Hungary.
"And when it was revealed, they may have felt that they could not back out of the situation without losing face. They can see in hindsight what price they had to pay for that."
Politics often presents decision-makers with dilemmas where it would be difficult to weigh the positive and negative consequences of a decision on a pharmacy scale.
"However, from the Hungarian national point of view, it is now clear that for now it is not in our interest to bring Ukraine closer to the European Union. After the accelerated candidacy for membership and the start of negotiations, a possible accelerated accession would certainly cause more harm to Hungarians than it would benefit. We can deliver help to the Transcarpathian Hungarians, as well as to the whole of Ukraine, if limited, but even now. Accession would not improve this merit, but we would have to shoulder all the miseries of Ukraine," explained the deputy head of the ministry.
An elegant solution was reached regarding the start of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations, which indicates that we do not agree with the decision, but - as in the case of sanctions - the unity of the European Union is worth so much to us that we do not undermine the clear majority will.
The financial framework intended for Ukraine falls under a different assessment because it puts Hungary's direct financial interests at stake, as the Union has linked aid to Ukraine with its own budget, while it owes us substantial amounts from the latter, pointed out Levente Magyar, who does not see the conditions for , so that the war drags on once again for as long as it is already behind us.
"The tormented Ukrainian society is at such a level of exhaustion that it cannot be maintained for any length of time. In the absence of the promised combat successes, sooner or later previously unimaginable political solutions may also be on the table. I can imagine this sooner than the oft-visioned suffocation of the Russians. Even the worst peace is better than war, in the spirit of this, I wish the people of Ukraine and all of us that the long-awaited ceasefire arrives as soon as possible", Levente Magyar concluded the conversation.
Cover photo: Magyar Levente
Source: hörmel.hu
