Hungary’s Far-Right Aims to Claim Neighboring Region If Ukraine Loses War, Reports Reuters

BUDAPEST (Reuters) – The leader of Hungary’s far-right Our Homeland party declared that the party would seek claim over the western region of Ukraine, known as Transcarpathia, which is home to approximately 150,000 ethnic Hungarians, should Ukraine lose its statehood amid the ongoing invasion by Russia.

Laszlo Toroczkai made these comments during a conference where the party, which has six representatives in Hungary’s 199-member parliament, hosted far-right figures from various European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands.

Toroczkai emphasized the party’s stance on the Ukraine conflict, advocating for an immediate ceasefire and urging for a resolution through dialogue. He called for autonomy for ethnic Hungarians residing in western Ukraine, stating, “If this war ends with Ukraine losing its statehood, then as the only Hungarian party taking this position, let me signal that we lay claim to Transcarpathia.” His remarks were met with applause from attendees.

The Hungarian Foreign Ministry and the Ukrainian Embassy in Budapest did not provide immediate comments regarding Toroczkai’s statements.

In December, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban affirmed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as noted by government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs. Additionally, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian officials in western Ukraine on Monday to discuss a potential meeting between the leaders of both nations.

Budapest has been at odds with Kyiv over alleged restrictions on the rights of the ethnic Hungarian population to use their native language.

Recently, all EU member states, with the exception of Hungary, agreed to initiate accession talks with Ukraine, circumventing Orban’s objections by proceeding while he was out of the room. However, a consensus has yet to be reached on modifying the EU budget to allocate 50 billion euros to Ukraine, with discussions expected to resume at an emergency summit next Thursday.