All indications suggest that Viktor Orbán and Volodymyr Zelenskyy may soon be sitting down at the negotiating table. The parties have a multitude of contentious issues to discuss, beginning with the rights of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia.
István Schink was originally fired from his post at the II. Rákóczi Ferenc Secondary School in Munkács (Mukachevo), Ukraine in January. An April ruling by the District Court reinstated him, however, he was again removed three weeks later. That was also challenged in court, and the judges sided with Schink again.
The 62nd annual congress for the Hungarian Association took place on 24–25 November in Middleburg Heights, Ohio near the city of Cleveland in the United States. A whole slew of distinguished speakers, from the world of psychology, charity, clergy, and even NASA, spoke at the illustrious event meant to raise awareness of and celebrate the great work of Hungarian artists and scientists living in the diaspora.
Ukraine may amend its legislation restricting minority rights, and the new initiative appears to be a praiseworthy improvement. However, the draft regulation concerns only the recognized nations of the EU, intentionally excluding Russians and Russian speakers.
‘The clashes are ongoing, there is no harmony, they were sent here to carry out the school’s death sentence’, Pál Popovics, an informatics teacher at the school said.
Barna Pál Zsigmond emphasized during his press conference in Kossuth Square held on the occasion of European Languages Day that more than 700 million European citizens in forty-six countries mark the day each year, drawing attention to one of the continent’s defining values: linguistic diversity.
During her meeting with Musk, the Hungarian President observed that while addressing climate change is necessary, ‘if there are no future generations, there is no point in caring for the Earth.’ Novák emphasized her commitment to families and addressing demographic issues, recalling that family policy has been a priority in Hungary in the past decade, leading to tangible improvements in demographic figures.
Addressing the conference of Hungarian chiefs of mission, President of the Republic Katalin Novák also spoke about Hungary’s commitment to the rights and language use of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, emphasizing that Hungary will continue to adhere to this in the future. She stated that nobody can expect Hungary to make concessions or compromises concerning the rights of the Hungarian population in Transcarpathia.
The Hungarian community in Mukachevo has been harassed in a number of ways by the Ukrainian local authorities over the past year. Beside the attacks on the Hungarian secondary school, the municipality has been waging a war on all Hungarian symbols in the town, ordering the removal of Hungarian flags from public buildings and of the Turul statue from the Munkács Castle.
Contrary to what one might expect, Ukrainian media outlets have not shown support for the recent provocative appointment of Marija Pauk as head of the II. Rákóczi Ferenc school in Transcarpathia.
The Ukrainian ombudsman informed Katalin Novák about the process of repatriating and rehabilitating children who were taken to Russia from the occupied territories. The Hungarian president reminded that Hungary is conducting its largest humanitarian action in history, with a particular focus on hosting Ukrainian children at various holiday resorts this summer.
Earlier this year, referring to a fresh decree, the Ukrainian police removed Hungarian flags from several public institutions in the town, including the Hungarian-language secondary school. Furthermore, without any justification, its director was dismissed overnight. On 15 August, Marija Pauk, an ethnic Ukrainian with no connection to the Hungarian community or the school was appointed to lead the institution.
‘The Ukrainian Puzzle: Hungary’s Perspective on a Changing Neighbour’ is a book that intends to present the Hungarian perspective on Ukraine to the Ukrainian and international public, arguing that this perspective has not changed ever since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1991. While it is hard to disagree with the main idea of the book, the methodology employed to convey it leaves something to be desired.
The Transcarpathian-Hungarian mathematician left the teacher’s pulpit behind to volunteer for the Ukrainian military.
The military journalist’s charity is sending strictly civilian aid, such batteries, drones, and food, to the 68th Transcarpathian Special Battalion which includes many ethnic Hungarian soldiers fighting on the front. Mr Trautmann also shared some insights into the mood and general mindset within the Ukrainian military.
On Sunday, news arrived that Csaba Varga reached the summit of Nanga Parbat, one of the highest peaks in the world. After that, there was no new information about him for a while, but it has now been revealed that he successfully descended from the summit and is doing well.
The Russian Orthodox Church announced that, at the request of Budapest, several Transcarpathian soldiers who were held as prisoners of war in Russia have been transported to Hungary.
‘Nations are creations of God, borders are drawn by people. Supporting the homeland is important, and it has become a constitutional obligation. However, the Hungarian people have survived even when the leaders of the Hungarian state…forgot, gave up, or betrayed national unity, as it happened during the four decades of communism or during the periods of left-wing governments,’ the Chief of the Prime Minister’s Office stated on 4 June.
The Hungarian government blocking the latest round of sanctions comes only days after the Orbán administration vetoed the release of €500 million of military aid to Ukraine. The blacklisting of the Budapest-based OTP Bank by Ukrainian officials is behind both of these decisions.
The Hungarians in the crowd did not allow the protesters to ruin the unveiling, instead they started to loudly sing a Hungarian folk song and the national anthem of Hungary, thus, drowning out the voice of the few protesters.
For over a thousand years, Hungarians and Rusyns have lived peacefully together. This shared history offers important lesson of cooperation and mutual respect.
Consul Ferenc Papp was among the distinguished guests attending the celebratory event. As he pointed out in his speech, in 2021 and 2022, the Hungarian government spent a total of nearly 5.2 billion forints on renovating the churches and religious facilities of Hungarian communities beyond the borders.
MFAT State Secretary Levente Magyar stated after inaugurating the Zahalca kindergarten near Kyiv that the new building ‘is a serious sign and indicator of how significantly Hungary is present in the reconstruction of Ukraine.’
The NATO–Ukraine Foreign Ministers’ meeting will take place on 4–5 April in Brussels and it will not be a one-time event, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. He also added that Hungary’s concerns will be discussed.
Despite the continual support and humanitarian aid provided by Hungary, serious anti-Hungarian voices and resentment of Hungary still appear in the Ukrainian media.
The size of the Ukrainian trident compares to the magnitude of the massive Mukachevo castle the same way decades of Ukrainian rule compare to the one-thousand-year-old Hungarian history in Transcarpathia.
In a January article published in the Transcarpathian paper Magyar Szó, Ungvár (Uzhorod) Consul László Kuti spoke about 12 Hungarian soldiers having fallen—the Hungarian Foreign Ministry provides financial aid to the families of all Hungarian victims of the war. However, estimates have put the number closer to 100 recently.
After a local-level decision ordered the removal of Hungarian national flags from school buildings in Transcarpathian settlements, MFA State Secretary Tamás Menczer demanded that the measure be revoked.
As long as legal harassment, inter-ethnic conflicts, economic hardships and—on top of all that—war plague the Hungarians in Ukraine, their survival can only be assured by the heroic perseverance we have seen in them countless times before.
The past will not be annulled by short-sighted and counterproductive acts like the removal of the turul statue. What those acts do, however, is demonstrate to Hungarians that despite all the good will, aid, and political support bestowed on their neighbours, there is not much good to expect from Ukraine when it comes to its ethnic minorities and friendly neighbourly relations.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.