Hungary's new Prime Minister Peter Magyar has announced a historic agreement with Ukraine on the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, removing a key obstacle to Ukraine's EU accession negotiations.

The deal marks a sharp departure from the policies of former autocratic leader Viktor Orban, who repeatedly vilified Ukraine as an 'evil empire' and a 'mafia state.' Orban's regime even suggested Ukraine planned to attack Hungary, rhetoric that contributed to his crushing electoral defeat in April.

In a Facebook video, Magyar declared: 'In three weeks, we achieved what Viktor Orban couldn't in 10 years.' He said Ukraine agreed to guarantee extensive rights to its Hungarian minority, particularly in education and language, and that a formal declaration would be signed soon.

Under the agreement, Ukraine will allow the use of minority languages in public administration, including bilingual signs on government buildings, in areas where the minority constitutes over 10% of the local population. This aligns with EU membership requirements.

Laszlo Zubanics, head of the Hungarian Democratic Federation in Ukraine, hailed the deal as 'a very important and truly historic step.' He noted that a joint working group on minority issues, dormant since 2011, will now meet whenever problems arise. The agreement also clears the way for opening EU negotiation chapters.

Magyar has expressed readiness to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the border town of Berehove. Such a meeting would be historic after 15 years of strained relations, which predate Russia's full-scale invasion.

Orban's hostility toward Ukraine was starkly illustrated by a recent Telex report revealing that a high-profile anti-terrorism operation in March, which seized €70 million and 9 kg of gold from a Ukrainian armored vehicle, was actually a politically motivated stunt coordinated by Orban himself for campaign purposes. Magyar has condemned such tactics.

Source: www.dw.com