Hungarian, Ukrainian foreign ministers plan meeting in Ukraine

Responding to a question at a press conference with his Montenegrin counterpart, Szijjarto said a Hungary-Ukraine summit “would make sense only” if it was well-prepared.

As part of that preparation, Szijjarto and Dmitro Kuleba will meet on January 29 to discuss bilateral cooperation and “to examine whether a top-level meeting would further bilateral relations”, and to review the tasks necessary “for a meeting between the leaders of the two countries to have a hope of success.”

“I am ready. We have both dedicated January 29 for that meeting in Uzhorod,” Szijjarto said.

He also signalled readiness to meet again Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, “but a proposal of the date is yet to be forthcoming”.

Regarding the EU funds withheld from Hungary, Szijjarto warned against conflating issues “that have nothing to do with each other”. “Hungary is entitled to those EU resources, independently from Ukraine.”

“Those resources must be paid to Hungary. The European Commission has no right to withhold them.”

A significant portion of those monies is still being blocked for political reasons, Szijjarto said. The issue “is unrelated to the matter of the countries willing to join the EU, and our request remains the same: that we receive the EU funds,” he said.