Row between Hungary and Ukraine

A fierce dispute has broken out between Ukraine and Hungary. In the run-up to Ukraine's local elections, Budapest's representative for the Hungarian minority in the country, István Gerzsa, visited the Hungarian party KMKSZ. Kiev protested, saying this was interference, and denied Gerzsa entry for his next visits. Orbán's Fidesz party has now accused Ukraine of trying to start a civil war. Journalists also level serious accusations.

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Ukrajinska Prawda (UA) /

New low in neighbourly relations

Hungary's ruling party Fidesz has crossed a red line with its accusation, says Serhiy Sydorenko in Ukrayinska Pravda:

“With this move official Budapest has lost many friends in Ukraine. ... The Hungarian government has shown the world that it is interested in artificially destabilising Transcarpathia. Furthermore Budapest has shown that it does not consider Ukraine as an equal partner, that it behaves differently towards other states - and in particular that it refrains from interfering in elections even if it would really like to do so. … Kiev must do its utmost to involve those Hungarians living in Transcarpathia who are willing to engage in dialogue. ... After Budapest's hate campaign it won't be easy, but it's necessary.”

Magyar Nemzet (HU) /

Kiev sees the Hungarians as a threat

Magyar Nemzet can't understand the Ukrainian government's behaviour towards the Hungarian minority:

“Ukraine's behaviour is unpredictable. One minute it accuses Hungary of interfering in its affairs, the next its foreign minister calls for the poor relations to be repaired. ... But Kiev's legislation, which drastically restricts Hungarians in Transcarpathia in the use of their mother tongue, and the threatening gestures of Ukrainian nationalists pose a far greater problem. The leaders in Kiev should regard the 150,000 Hungarians in Transcarpathia as a negligible problem, but to judge from their behaviour they seem to perceive their very existence as a threat.”

Maszol (RO) /

Totalitarian Ukraine seeking a defeatable enemy

Maszol, a news website targeting readers belonging to the Hungarian minority in Romania, expresses its solidarity with the Hungarians in Ukraine:

“After its defeats on the eastern Front, Ukraine now wants to show its strength on the western Front. That explains why it is now attacking a peaceful, cooperative communtiy. Against a totalitarian regime, a message of solidarity seems like a weak instrument, but it is the only thing we can do.”