Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze: “We appreciate that real friends from Hungary come to Ukraine”

The Chair of the Committee of Ukraine’s Integration into the EU stated this during a meeting with Krisztina Baranyi, mayor of Ferencvaros, the 9th district of Budapest. The mayor visited Bucha, which is a twin town of Ferencvaros. She noted that there are many people in Hungary who support Ukraine, although their voices are not as loud as the position of the central government.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze is sure that this visit is of great importance for mutual understanding between people, not only between government officials. “We appreciate that real friends from Hungary come to Ukraine. Bucha is a twin town of your district. It is valuable for us that you are here. And I know that you have already helped a lot. You provided incredible support to Ukrainians fleeing the war. We appreciate that you expressed your protest against the Russian aggression,” the Chair of the Committee said.

She noted that, in addition to humanitarian support, Ukraine also hopes for military assistance from Budapest: “We do not have the full support of Hungary in everything we are doing now to protect not only ourselves, but also our neighbours from the EU and NATO countries. We are certainly grateful to Hungary for humanitarian aid, but we would also like to receive military support from it. Therefore, the voices of our Hungarian friends are extremely valuable for us.”

The Chair of the Committee expressed hope that this visit will be the beginning of even closer cooperation: “We really hope that respect for internationally recognised borders is important for Hungary as well as for Ukraine. Therefore, even small steps in the direction of building additional ties with Hungary are now important”.

Regarding Ukraine's European ambitions, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze hopes that Hungary will continue to support Ukraine on its path to joining the EU. “We need to do a lot of homework on our part, of course. And we also hope that Hungary will support our aspiration to join NATO. Ukraine pays a very high price to have a choice, to have a future, to be safe and to preserve its statehood and identity... I hope that voices friendly to Ukraine like yours will be heard in Hungary,” concluded the Chair of the Committee.