Hungary boasts of agreement with Ukraine: achieving what Viktor Orbán failed to do in 10 years

What Happened

A draft law on the educational rights of national minorities was submitted to Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada and registered on 1 October. Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Vsevolod Chentsov personally informed her of the submission. Orbán welcomed the step, said it followed bilateral Ukrainian-Hungarian professional consultations and consultations with representatives of the Hungarian community in Zakarpattia, and stated she expects the Verkhovna Rada to decide on the law this month. She added that the new Hungarian government had 'managed to achieve more real results in strengthening the rights of the Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia' in a few months than Viktor Orbán's government had in 10 years.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The draft law addresses Hungarian minority language education in Zakarpattia, a long-standing point of friction between Kyiv and Budapest. Its adoption is expected to help lift Hungary's veto and clear the way for two negotiating clusters in Ukraine's EU accession process, a strategic priority for Ukraine amid Russia's full-scale invasion.

Watch For

The Verkhovna Rada is expected to vote on the draft law this month. If passed, attention turns to whether Hungary lifts its veto and whether the next two clusters in Ukraine's EU accession negotiations are opened, as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha hopes.