Hungary lifts ban on Ukrainian media in bid to repair ties with Kyiv
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Hungarian government lifts restrictions on Ukrainian press (Photo: REUTERS/Thomas Peter)
Hungary has lifted restrictions on the distribution of
Ukrainian media, saying the move is needed to give the Ukrainian community and
refugees access to information in their native language and improve relations
between the two countries.
Zoltan Tarr, Hungary’s minister of social relations and
culture, announced
the decision on June 19.
Tarr said that in 2025, Fidesz, the party of former
Prime Minister Viktor Orban, arbitrarily banned Ukrainian publications in
response to Ukraine’s actions against Hungarian newspapers that had violated
journalistic standards and spread Russian propaganda.
Tarr stressed that “media spreading Russian propaganda
must not be confused with a real, independent press, either in Hungary or
internationally.”
“The ousted government was constantly working to dig
trenches, and blocking these publications served no other purpose. Our task is
to build good-neighborly relations, which will help improve the situation of
Hungarians abroad — this is a shared national cause,” Tarr said.
He said the new government had made more progress in
that direction in a few weeks than the previous government had made in 16
years.
Tarr said the issue had been coordinated with Liliana
Grexa, a representative of Ukraine’s national minority. She stressed the
importance of access for the Ukrainian community and refugees in Hungary to
news about events in Ukraine in their native language.
On June 12, the Tisza party, led by Prime Minister Peter Magyar, submitted a
bill to reform Hungary’s public media by freeing them from political influence
and strengthening independent oversight. The bill also proposes reorganizing
state media structures, creating new oversight bodies and changing public
broadcasting leadership through an open competition.
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