A diplomatic row over Hungary's role in a Ukrainian-led regional summit, compounded by the disclosure of an oil-storage agreement between Hungarian energy group MOL and Ukraine's Naftogaz, has pushed relations between Budapest and Kyiv to a new low.
The Carpathian Eight (C8) summit, a new regional cooperation framework bringing together eight neighbouring countries, was held last week with the aim of strengthening investment and regional ties. Instead, it reignited long-standing tensions just as the two countries were working to repair relations and pave the way for Ukraine to open more negotiating chapters in its EU accession talks.
Both governments had hoped to ease tensions after years of hostility under Viktor Orbán, who built his election campaign on portraying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a threat. Instead, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha clashed publicly on X on Monday night. Sybiha accused Magyar of following in Orbán's footsteps after the Hungarian prime minister told parliament that Hungary had been added to the C8 initiative against its will.
"What we've been hearing from Budapest lately leaves us confused," Sybiha wrote. "It seems that while Viktor Orbán is gone, his policies of obstructionism and isolationism continue to thrive."
Magyar rejected the accusation. "To claim that a sovereign country is a member of an international cooperation (Carpathian Integration) without prior consultation or consent of the country concerned is completely unacceptable," he replied. The exchange made headlines in both countries and marked a serious setback after months of work to repair ties and allow Ukraine to open more negotiating chapters with the EU.
Carpathian Eight or Carpathian Seven?
Zelenskyy opened the summit last Thursday in Bukovel, Western Ukraine, with regional leaders including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. He listed eight participating countries: Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. But the family photo he posted showed only six foreign leaders, without Magyar.
Hungary was represented by its chargé d'affaires in Ukraine, a low-level diplomat, who did not sign the summit's closing statement. Kyiv nevertheless regarded the attendance as formal participation. Ukraine had lobbied intensively for Magyar to attend and had invited him repeatedly.
"Very active consultations took place at the level of Foreign Ministers Andrii Sybiha and Anita Orbán, as well as at the level of our representatives in Brussels and between the capitals," a Ukrainian diplomat said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The diplomat told Euronews that Kyiv considered Hungary a participating member because it was officially represented by a diplomat. "They informed us in Budapest that they would be represented at this summit by the Chargé d'Affaires of the Hungarian Embassy in Ukraine. It is not a high-level representation – let's be frank, it is a low-level one – but they will be taking part," the source added.
A Hungarian diplomat involved in the preparations gave a different account, saying Budapest had made clear before the summit that Magyar would not attend and that Hungary did not consider itself a member of the initiative without the presence and signature of its leader. "The story is about Ukrainians being unashamed. They were lobbying very hard in Budapest for weeks for Magyar's presence," the source said. "Magyar made it clear beforehand that he is not going. The membership is only approved by the presence of leaders and their signature. The Chargé d'Affaires was just an observer."
In Hungarian government circles, portraying the country as a C8 member was seen as a mistake, but Sybiha's comparison of Magyar with Orbán inflamed the situation. The Hungarian Foreign Ministry said in a statement to Euronews: "Since taking office, the new Hungarian Government has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to rebuild pragmatic, constructive and mutually respectful relations with Ukraine. Against that background, we do not believe that comparisons with the obstructionist policies of the previous Hungarian government are accurate or helpful."
The Hungarian diplomatic source said Magyar's government had no intention of harming Ukraine, and that the recent tensions had damaged bilateral ties. "Now there is bad blood. Hungary does not want to harm Ukraine in any way; we understand that they are at war, and the situation today is much better compared to the Orbán era. What we have now, after the C8 mashup, is cold peace between the two countries. Under Orbán, we had a cold war."
Minority rights at the heart of the dispute
The row also revived a long-running dispute over the language and cultural rights of Ukraine's Hungarian minority, which numbers around 100,000 people in the Transcarpathia region. Magyar, according to our sources, made it clear that he is only interested in the Carpathian summit if there is real progress on the minority file, which he could present as a success at home.
In June, Kyiv and Budapest agreed on an action plan to broaden minority rights. In response, Hungary approved the opening of two negotiating chapters in Ukraine's EU accession talks. Since then, Budapest has blocked the opening of further clusters and is demanding that Ukraine's parliament, the Rada, adopt the relevant legislation. Under the joint action plan, the Rada must adopt the laws by the end of the year.
"The ball is in Ukraine's court. They need to solve the minority issue. If this law had been adopted earlier, Magyar could have been at the Carpathian summit," the Hungarian diplomatic source said.
Magyar and Zelenskyy had earlier planned a bilateral meeting, but Magyar made any meeting with the Ukrainian President conditional on progress on minority rights. The impasse leaves the two neighbours in a fragile equilibrium, with the C8 summit and the oil-storage deal serving as reminders of how quickly diplomatic gains can unravel.
