Péter Magyar plans Zelenskyy talks after toppling Orbán in Hungary
Péter Magyar said his opponents had used conflicts with Ukraine for their own political gain. (Photo: REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo)
Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar said after his
Tisza party’s parliamentary election victory that he plans to meet with
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Telex
reported on April 13.
At a news conference on April 13, Magyar said he and
Zelenskyy would “definitely meet, if not somewhere else, then at the European
Council [after the new prime minister takes the oath of office].” He added that
Orbán’s Fidesz party had used disputes with Ukraine for political gain, but
that he would not change his position from day to day.
Magyar also said he had already received congratulations
from Zelenskyy, The Kyiv Independent reported.
He stressed that Ukraine has every right to defend itself
against Russian aggression, that no one can force it to make territorial
concessions, and that Russia poses a security threat to Europe.
Magyar said his government would seek allied and friendly
relations “with all neighboring countries.” He added that many Hungarians live
in Ukraine and that “it is in our interest to settle disputed issues.” He said
he wants to resolve the dispute over Ukraine’s language law so the Hungarian
minority “can use its native language.”
Hungary held parliamentary elections on April 12. With
98.94% of the vote counted, Tisza was leading. Magyar’s party was set to win
138 seats in parliament, while Orbán’s Fidesz was headed for 55 seats and Our
Homeland for six.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who had been in power
for 16 years, said he accepted his party’s defeat and congratulated his rival
on the victory.
Zelenskyy also congratulated Magyar on his election win,
saying Europe and every European country “must grow stronger, and millions of
Europeans want cooperation and stability.”
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine had sent the
Hungarian side messages about possible contact between Zelenskyy and Magyar.
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