Hungary's PM says he may meet Zelenskiy in June if minority rights talks successful
Hungarian-Ukrainian Relations and EU Accession Prospects
By Barbara Erling and Krisztina Than
Background of the Potential Meeting
WARSAW, May 20 (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar could meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in June if a deal on Hungarian minority rights is reached, he said on Wednesday, striking an optimistic tone about a key issue for Kyiv's EU accession hopes.
Magyar spoke during a visit to Poland that he hopes will help reset ties with the bloc that were strained by his predecessor Viktor Orban's hostility to Ukraine and warm relations with Russia.
Minority Rights as a Key Condition
While Magyar takes a less confrontational approach to Kyiv, he says progress on the rights of roughly 150,000 ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine to use their native tongue is essential if Budapest is to agree to Ukraine joining the European Union.
"I very much hope that these talks will be closed quickly and successfully... (then) we could meet with President Zelenskiy sometime early June in Beregszasz (Beregovo), a town where Hungarians are in majority," Magyar told a press conference.
Kyiv and Budapest began consultations online on Wednesday, the countries' foreign ministers said.
Energy Cooperation Between Poland and Hungary
Poland's Offer to Support Energy Diversification
POLAND OFFERS HELP DIVERSIFYING ENERGY SOURCES
Budapest's reluctance to wean itself off Russian energy was a key source of conflict with Brussels during Orban's rule.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday that Warsaw was ready to help Budapest diversify its energy sources.
"I will offer, if necessary, cooperation, assistance, and investments in infrastructure to make the entire region autonomous and as independent as possible in terms of energy sources," Tusk said.
Infrastructure Investments and LNG Opportunities
Warsaw plans to offer Budapest access to U.S. LNG via a new Gdansk terminal due to start operations in 2028, a source with knowledge of the matter said before Magyar's visit. Orlen has already been selling U.S. LNG to Ukraine.
Poland's push to expand its LNG infrastructure is opening up a potential new revenue stream from landlocked central European markets, with Hungary emerging as a key prospective buyer.
Hungary's Stance on Energy Pricing
However, Magyar told private broadcaster TVN24 in an interview broadcast late on Tuesday that Hungary wanted to see lower prices for gas that arrives as LNG.
"It's not yet a great, competitive price," he said. "We would be the happiest if there was a lower transit fee, or if the European Union could be persuaded to make the gas arriving via LNG more competitive."
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Alan Charlish, Barbara Erling, Pawel Florkiewicz, Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk in Warsaw, Krisztina Than in Budapest; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Toby Chopra)
