The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine and Hungary did not sign a bilateral document due to Hungary's refusal to formally acknowledge its support for Ukraine's integration into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). As reported by UNIAN correspondent, the head of state made this statement at a press conference following his participation in the summit of the European Political Community in Budapest.
The president emphasized his strong interest in establishing genuine close, friendly, productive, and proactive relations between Ukraine and Hungary.
"I advocate for this. I believe that our societies respect each other. I am very grateful for many things. Historically and geopolitically, this is important for us," Zelensky stated.
At the same time, according to the President of Ukraine, it was previously agreed with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that teams from both countries would work on a bilateral document. Zelensky said:
"It is certainly important for us to maintain clarity in our agreements. There are issues concerning minorities, and I believe we have accomplished a lot. The European Commission has provided conclusions, and there are no remarks on this issue. We respect the Hungarian minority in Ukraine."
He noted that Ukraine has a significant number of minorities from different nationalities, and all of them deserve respect.
"They are all equal citizens of Ukraine to us. It is important for us to support their identity," the president declared.
Moreover, he added that the bilateral document being prepared for signing includes not only what one side wants but also what is crucial for the security of both parties, both now and in the future.
"Support for Ukraine in the EU is important for us. Support for Ukraine from Hungary in NATO is important for us. Currently, the document lacks Hungary's support for Ukraine in NATO. And since that is absent, this document has not been signed. That is the end of the matter," Zelensky emphasized.
Hungary's Blocking of Decisions Regarding Ukraine
As reported by UNIAN, for many years, Hungary has consistently blocked various NATO initiatives related to Ukraine.
In June 2024, it became known that Hungary would not participate and would not oppose NATO initiatives to support Ukraine, which are to be agreed upon at the Alliance summit in Washington.
In October 2024, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjarto, stated that if Ukraine were to be accepted into NATO, it could provoke a Third World War due to the collective defense article.