Hungary has joined a major international declaration expressing solidarity with Ukraine and calling on Russia to accept a ceasefire and enter meaningful peace negotiations. The move comes after a turbulent period in Hungary-Ukraine relations and shortly after Budapest and Kyiv became embroiled in another public diplomatic dispute.

Hungary was among the countries backing a joint declaration issued ahead of a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on 23 September. The document was presented by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on behalf of the European Union and 51 countries.

According to Világgazdaság, Hungary was among the signatories, alongside all EU member states and countries including Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia and Canada.

The opening message of the declaration was unequivocal: “Ukraine wants peace. We want peace.”

Hungary-Ukraine relations take another turn

The declaration reiterates solidarity with Ukraine as the country continues to face Russia’s war of aggression. Its signatories expressed particular concern about Russian attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure and called for full compliance with international humanitarian law.

They also highlighted attacks in the Black Sea and their potential consequences for Ukrainian grain exports and global food security. The countries backed efforts to guarantee freedom of navigation in the region and called for the protection of commercial shipping and critical infrastructure.

Most significantly from a Hungarian political perspective, Budapest joined the other signatories in directly calling on Moscow to change course.

The declaration states that Russia should end its aggression, accept a ceasefire and engage in meaningful negotiations aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in accordance with international law.

It also calls for the safe and unconditional return of Ukrainian civilians who have been detained, forcibly transferred or deported, including children, as well as the return of prisoners of war and internees.

Has the latest Budapest-Kyiv dispute been settled?

Hungary’s support for the declaration is particularly notable given that Hungary-Ukraine relations have remained complicated even under the new Hungarian government.

Earlier this week, another public dispute erupted after Prime Minister Péter Magyar said Hungary had not joined the Carpathian Eight, a regional initiative associated with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Sybiha responded critically to Budapest, saying that despite the change of government in Hungary, what he described as the previous policy of obstruction and isolation appeared to be continuing. Magyar rejected the criticism, while Foreign Minister Anita Orbán stressed that Hungary had never joined the initiative and that Budapest’s position had to be respected. Details: Péter Magyar and Ukraine clash over new Carpathian Eight initiative

Orbán has since said the conflict was settled following diplomatic contacts behind the scenes. She said she was in daily contact with the Ukrainian deputy prime minister and indicated that draft legislation addressing the situation of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia (Kárpátalja) could reach the Ukrainian parliament in October.

The rights of ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine’s western Transcarpathia region have been one of the most persistent sources of tension between Budapest and Kyiv in recent years.

Major disagreements between Hungary and Ukraine remain

The latest declaration should not, however, be interpreted as meaning that all disputes between Budapest and Kyiv have disappeared.

Hungary has continued to block progress on parts of Ukraine’s EU accession process. Earlier in September, Budapest again prevented approval related to the second and third negotiating clusters, with the Hungarian government maintaining pressure over minority-rights issues.

Kyiv, meanwhile, has argued that commitments concerning national minorities have already been incorporated into its existing action plan and should be assessed through established mechanisms rather than through additional bilateral conditions imposed on its EU accession process.

This leaves Hungary-Ukraine relations in an unusual position: Budapest continues to have serious bilateral disagreements with Kyiv, particularly over EU accession and Transcarpathian Hungarians, while simultaneously joining Ukraine and dozens of other countries in a strongly worded international declaration on the war.

Hungary’s signature therefore does not amount to a complete diplomatic reconciliation. It does, however, provide another indication that despite the continuing disputes between Budapest and Kyiv, the Hungarian government is prepared to align itself publicly with Ukraine and its European partners on some of the fundamental questions surrounding the war.

As we wrote today, Hungarian president Baka challenges UN over double standards and Ukraine.