Hungary cancels meeting on national minorities with Ukraine over spying scandal

Yahoo

12-05-2025

Hungary cancelled a meeting planned for May 12 with a Ukrainian delegation on the rights of national minorities, Hungary's Deputy Foreign Minister said on May 11, amid a deepening spying scandal between the two countries.
"I cancelled tomorrow's meeting because I believe that the recent developments in Hungarian-Ukrainian relations do not allow for an honest and constructive discussion on such an important and sensitive issue as the rights of national minorities," Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar wrote.
On May 9, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast, detaining two agents accused of espionage against the Ukrainian state.
Soon after on May 9, Hungary allegedly expelled two "spies" working under diplomatic cover at Ukraine's embassy in Budapest, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said. In response to Szijjarto's statement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine is expelling two Hungarian diplomats from Kyiv.
The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify accusations of spying.
Zakarpattia Oblast is a region with a sizable ethnic Hungarian minority and a sensitive location along NATO's eastern frontier. Kyiv has long accused Budapest of undermining Ukraine's sovereignty through political interference and dual citizenship schemes.
Budapest has repeatedly accused Kyiv of discriminating against the Hungarian ethnic minority concentrated in southwestern Ukraine, an accusation that the Ukrainian leadership denies. Much of these disputes center around Ukraine's language laws that require at least 70% of education above fifth grade to be conducted in Ukrainian.
While Budapest has called this measure discriminatory toward the Hungarian minority, Kyiv retorted that it only aims to ensure that every Ukrainian citizen has sufficient knowledge of the official language.
Hungary has formulated an 11-point request to Ukraine regarding the rights of national minorities, which included the restoration of the status of a national school, the ability to take a high school diploma in Hungarian, and the ability to use Hungarian in public life.
Ahead of exacerbated tensions caused by the scandal, the two countries have in recent months sought to mend relations on the issue.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in October 2024 that Kyiv was preparing a bilateral cooperation document with Budapest "to clear up misunderstandings" between the two countries. While Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Sept. 30 after talks with Szijjarto that both sides see "positive dynamics" in resolving issues related to national minorities.
In September 2023, the Ukrainian parliament approved changes to national minorities law, which was one of seven steps recommended by the European Commission in June 2022 for Ukraine's accession to the European Union. The changes were signed into law by Zelensky in November.
Hungary continues to maintain positive relations with Russia in contrast with other EU members. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been broadly seen as the most Moscow-friendly leader in the EU during Russia's all-out war against Ukraine. He has repeatedly opposed military aid for Ukraine, arguing that Western support prolongs the war.
On March 26, Szijjarto visited Moscow to discuss continued economic cooperation between the two countries.
Read also: Ukraine detains Hungarian spy network in westernmost Zakarpattia Oblast, SBU reports
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