De-Securitizing the Hungary- Ukraine Agenda

The Hungary–Ukraine Reconciliation Initiative of the German Marshall Fund of the United States addresses challenges related to trust, security, EU integration, and minority rights in the relations between these two neighboring countries. It offers a strategic confidence-building approach to developing a constructive agenda for the relationship between Hungary and Ukraine.

The initiative aims to serve as a policy compass for the democratic governments in Kyiv and Budapest, to foster mutual understanding among experts and stakeholders with positive spillover effects for both societies, and to help remove obstacles on the Hungarian side that may hinder Ukraine’s EU accession process.

*    *    *    *    *

This second working paper under the initiative looks at how Hungary-Ukraine relations were securitized in recent years by the Fidesz government that was in office in Budapest until the April 2026 elections as well by the government in Kyiv. This is demonstrated by a brief analysis of statements by senior officials on both sides. The securitization developed specifically in the context of Ukraine’s EU accession process since the country was given candidate status in 2022, and of the opposition to this by Hungary under its previous government. Notably, Budapest insisted on the protection of the rights of the ethnic Hungarian minority in Ukraine as a necessary precondition to EU integration. More broadly, the Russia leaning of the Fidesz government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the tense relations between him and Zelensky, and the exploitation of the “Ukrainian issue” in Hungary’s politics, which was exacerbated by the electoral campaign, hardened the dividing lines between Kyiv and Budapest. The landslide victory of the Tisza party in the elections has changed the political situation in Hungary, and the new government may continue some aspects of Fidesz’s approach, but it may also look for ways to find common ground with Ukraine and to de-securitize relations. 

The views expressed herein are those solely of the author(s). GMF as an institution does not take positions.