Head of Ukrainian President's Office on conversation with Hungarian Foreign Minister: "Powerful step" towards Zelenskyy meeting with Orbán

Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has said that negotiations with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in Uzhhorod, in Ukraine's  west, showed that Ukraine and Hungary both want to organise a meeting at the highest level.

"Today both sides made it absolutely clear that they are interested in a meeting taking place between the Hungarian prime minister and the president of Ukraine. I believe that today we have taken a very powerful step towards this meeting. There is no doubt that we are all interested in this meeting’s success and the possibility of it opening a new chapter in our relations," Andrii Yermak said in comments to journalists following his meeting with Péter Szijjártó.

Yermak said that no details, such as dates, were discussed during his meeting with Szijjártó, but both Ukraine and Hungary want to hold the meeting as soon as possible.

He also said Kyiv was interested in making sure that the meeting achieves "certain outcomes".

On 29 January, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó met with Viktor Mykyta, the head of Zakarpattia Oblast, in the town of Zahony on the Hungarian-Ukrainian border.

Later the same day, Szijjártó met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and other Ukrainian officials in Uzhhorod to discuss a possible meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. 

Zelenskyy and Orbán have not had a meeting since Zelenskyy was elected president of Ukraine.