Poland aims to ease tensions between Kyiv and Budapest, opening channels for stalled cooperation and financial flows. Talks could shape the upcoming Gdansk recovery conference.
Kyiv expects Warsaw’s support in normalizing relations with the new Hungarian leadership. This position was voiced by Donald Tusk during a press briefing for the media in Yerevan after the European Political Community summit.
According to Tusk, during his meeting with Zelensky, he discussed preparations for the conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction, scheduled for June in Gdańsk.
Key Points and the Outlook for Dialogue
“Ukraine is also very interested in our taking care of the new Hungarian prime minister, in quotation marks ‘taking care’. That is, it is about facilitating cooperation, as the relations between Ukraine and Hungary have been very strained. And, as is known, this blocked many matters, even funds for Poland (the EU funds returned to Warsaw for military aid to Ukraine – editor’s note), not to mention a large European loan for Ukraine”
– Donald Tusk
He stressed that for Poland it is important that the new Hungarian prime minister Péter Magyar work to restore full trust between Budapest and Kyiv.
“This will benefit everyone in Europe. They are also counting on Poland and on my relations with Prime Minister Magyar, and I think they will not be disappointed. Soon we will speak with Prime Minister Magyar in Poland, so I am looking forward to this visit. But we will also talk about the relations between Hungary and Ukraine”
– Donald Tusk
Former Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz noted that Péter Magyar’s first foreign trip as the winner of Hungary’s parliamentary elections to Warsaw will be a symbolic step, signaling the programmatic closeness of his political force and signaling the restoration of the Visegrád Group’s role in the EU.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, after talks with Donald Tusk in Yerevan, said that Ukraine is ready for the next round of trilateral talks to achieve a long-term ceasefire, reliable security and lasting peace.
Thus, expectations are centered on maintaining ongoing dialogue among Kyiv, Budapest, and Warsaw as part of shaping a new Hungarian policy.