Situation with Hungarian Language in Zakarpattia Was Better in USSR than in Ukraine - Orbán

Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán Viktor said that the situation with the Hungarian language and education in Zakarpattia Oblast under the USSR was better than it is now under independent Ukraine.

As reported by RTL.hu, speaking about Hungarians abroad, Orbán said at a meeting of the Hungarian Permanent Conference (MÁÉRT) that Hungarians in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia are now in the worst situation.

According to Orbán Viktor, the political leadership is following a path that leads to nothing that Budapest cannot support.

"I'm not exaggerating when I say that the situation with the Hungarian language and education was better during the Soviet Union than now under the Ukrainian state," he said.

Orbán said that Hungary would provide all assistance to Hungarians in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia, as he says that Ukraine "continues to punish the citizens of Zakarpattia" despite the war.

"It is very difficult to help a country that is waging war without an internationally recognised military objective," he added.

The Hungarian prime minister said that at the last EU meeting, he proposed to develop a "plan B" for Ukraine, which would be better than continuing the "current hopeless situation" in which thousands are dying in a "Christian-civil war".

Recently, Hungary has stepped up its threats to block the start of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations over alleged infringement on the rights of Ukraine's Hungarian-speaking minority.

The Hungarian government is planning to hold consultations with the population, the main issue of which will be support for Ukraine's membership in the EU. This question is expected to be manipulative.