Zelenskyy and Hungary's Magyar Hold First One-on-One; Kyiv Proposes Grain Transit via Hungary
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar held their first one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels. According to Ukrinform and Euronews, Magyar told Hungary's RTL television after the summit that the two sides agreed to build a new foundation for political and economic ties, describing the meeting as a reset in Hungary-Ukraine relations.
Grain topped the agenda. Zelenskyy proposed reviving the arrangement used at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, under which Ukrainian grain transits through neighboring countries to Western Europe. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of grain and oilseeds; about 90 percent of its wheat, corn and sunflower exports once moved through Black Sea ports, but Russian strikes on port infrastructure have made that route increasingly difficult.
Magyar said Hungary sees no obstacle to transit, provided the grain only crosses Hungarian territory and does not enter the Hungarian market. He said Budapest is willing to offer a land route to Western Europe as long as the condition of transit-only is met. The issue has repeatedly caused friction between Ukraine and its EU neighbors, whose farmers fear cheap Ukrainian produce undercutting local prices.
Magyar also said a visit by Zelenskyy to Budapest later this month is unlikely, despite Kyiv having received an invitation. Hungary will hold state ceremonies on October 23 marking the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, with more than 100 foreign politicians invited.
Magyar, who took office as prime minister this year, has moved to repair ties with Kyiv after years of friction between Hungary and Ukraine over energy and the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine's Zakarpattia region. (GSM, based on Ukrinform and Euronews reporting)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 匈牙利总理 Péter Magyar。Photo by Norbert Banhalmi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
