Ukrainian, Hungarian FMs have 'frank' discussion

Budapest — 

Ukraine's caller overseas curate held a "frank" speech with his Hungarian counterpart connected "difficult issues" connected Monday, against a backdrop of a frosty narration betwixt the neighboring countries.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been the lone EU person to support adjacent ties with the Kremlin since Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022.

He has repeatedly stalled efforts to punish Moscow and to assistance war-torn Ukraine successful its combat against the invading forces.

Budapest refuses to o.k. the merchandise of much than $7.25 cardinal to Kyiv, complaining astir discriminatory measures against Hungarian companies.

"We had a precise frank one-on-one speech discussing hard issues, among different things," Andriy Sybiga told reporters aft a gathering with Hungary's apical diplomat, Peter Szijjarto, successful Budapest.

The negotiations betwixt the 2 ministers "lasted astir an hour, doubly arsenic agelong arsenic planned," according to a connection from the Ukrainian ministry.

Speaking astatine a property conference, Sybiga welcomed Orban's archetypal sojourn to Kyiv astatine the opening of July and called for "the improvement of bilateral relations," saying helium could "count connected Budapest's support" successful its EU integration process.

"Our gathering contiguous has convinced maine that ... determination is simply a communal and communal volition to make neighborly relations," Szijjarto added.

But Hungary's overseas curate besides urged Kyiv to refrain from "unilateral, abrupt steps" that could "pose a challenge" to the cardinal European country's vigor supply.

In July, Budapest accused Kyiv of threatening its vigor information by barring Russian vigor elephantine Lukoil from utilizing the Ukrainian conception of the Druzhba pipeline.

Earlier this month, Hungarian vigor institution MOL made a woody guaranteeing the proviso of Russian oil.

The 2 ministers besides agreed to accelerate efforts by an intergovernmental moving radical acceptable up to code a long-running feud implicit number rights successful Transcarpathia, a occidental Ukrainian portion location to an taste Hungarian community.