Hungarian far-right party makes demands if Ukraine loses

The statement was made by Mr Toroczkai at a conference where the party, which has six lawmakers in the 199-member Hungarian parliament , hosted far-right leaders from Germany's AfD and the Dutch Democratic Forum, among others.

Hungarian parliament to make demands if Ukraine loses election — People walk on a snowy day in Uzhhorod, home to a large ethnic Hungarian population, in the Zakarpattia region of Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

"Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, our message is simple: immediate ceasefire, peace and a negotiated solution," Toroczkai said, calling for autonomy for the 150,000 ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine.

The Transcarpathia region remained part of modern Ukraine after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, retaining a significant ethnic Hungarian minority.

Mr Toroczkai's remarks were welcomed by right-wing members of several other European countries at the conference. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko called on the Hungarian government to condemn Mr Toroczkai's remarks.

Budapest has repeatedly clashed with Kiev over what it describes as discrimination against the estimated 150,000 ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine, particularly over access to general education in their native language.

In an interview in December, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to a summary of his remarks released by government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs.

Also in December, all EU member states except Hungary agreed to start EU accession talks with Ukraine.

However, the countries were unable to overcome the Hungarian Prime Minister's objections to reforming the EU budget to provide a 50 billion euro aid package to Kiev. The EU is expected to review the issue at an emergency summit on Thursday (February 1).

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)

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