German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has welcomed Hungary's new Prime Minister Peter Magyar as a transformative figure in European politics, pledging full support for Budapest's reintegration into EU mainstream following Magyar's decisive election victory over Viktor Orban. During Magyar's first official visit to Berlin on Tuesday, Merz described him as the "great beacon of hope of our time" and affirmed that democracy and the rule of law had been restored in Hungary. Magyar's conservative Tisza party won a two-thirds majority in April's election, enabling sweeping reforms after years of Orban's nationalist governance, which included repeated use of Hungary's veto power to block key EU decisions. Merz emphasized that Magyar's government would be an "honest and reliable partner" in Europe and urged swift progress on EU matters, including Ukraine support.
Magyar confirmed that Hungary would no longer automatically veto EU initiatives, stating, "I believe in negotiations," but maintained a partial stance on Ukraine policy. He reiterated that Hungary would not send weapons or troops to Ukraine, a position welcomed by Moscow, and said accession talks must be delayed until Hungarian minority rights in Ukraine—particularly language education for up to 100,000 ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia—are secured. Technical discussions on the issue could conclude this week, and Magyar expressed readiness to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week to begin a "new chapter" in relations. Merz acknowledged Budapest's bilateral concerns but stressed that resolving them should not hinder the EU's goal of opening accession negotiations with Ukraine immediately, starting with the first chapter.
Merz's embrace of Magyar as a democratic renewal overlooks that the new prime minister still blocks Ukraine's EU path while maintaining a no-arms policy that aligns with Russian interests. Magyar's pledge to end automatic vetoes is undercut by his conditional stance on Ukraine's accession, which preserves a key obstruction tactic under a different name. His focus on ethnic Hungarian rights in Ukraine mirrors Orban's playbook of using minority issues to justify broader geopolitical resistance. This continuity suggests less a break from Orban than a repackaging of leverage within EU frameworks.
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