Hungary ready to improve ties with Ukraine, says FM

BUDAPEST, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Hungary is ready to improve bilateral relations with Ukraine, but further progress depends on Kyiv, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said Thursday.

Speaking after talks in Budapest with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka, Szijjarto said Hungary has long sought to build trust and make positive gestures with its neighbors. "We are interested in good relations with every neighboring country, including Ukraine," he said in a video message posted on his official YouTube channel.

He cited recent Hungarian initiatives to support cooperation, such as opening a bilingual Hungarian-Ukrainian school in Budapest and organizing summer camps for Ukrainian children. Szijjarto also welcomed the resumption of rail links connecting Vienna, Budapest, Uzhhorod, Zahony, Chop and Beregszasz, saying these showed that "if there is goodwill, progress can be made in certain areas."

The minister urged Kyiv to halt attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline, which delivers Russian crude to Hungary through Ukrainian territory, stressing that the matter concerns Hungary's energy security.

He noted that Hungary continues to supply Ukraine with electricity and natural gas, covering about 40 percent and 50 percent of Ukraine's imports respectively.

Szijjarto reiterated Hungary's opposition to Ukraine's potential membership in the European Union, suggesting instead that Kyiv negotiate a strategic partnership with the bloc. ■