Ukraine's MFA lifts recommendation to avoid travel to Hungary

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is lifting its previous recommendation for Ukrainian citizens to avoid travelling to Hungary following the conclusion of the election campaign in that country, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said.

"The election campaign, which was unfortunately rife with manipulation regarding Ukraine, is now behind us. And so the heightened risks of provocations that prompted these restrictions have also subsided. We expect that in the political dimension, not only the consular one, the election results will lead to a normalisation of relations. Ukraine is ready to work towards that goal. The choice of the Hungarian people showed our neighbours’ aspiration to live in peace, security and prosperity - to live in a truly independent Hungary that is part of a united and free Europe, rather than a zone of Moscow’s influence, a space of lawlessness and intimidation," he wrote on Facebook.

Sybiha noted that the Hungarians’ choice also marked the defeat of a policy of blackmail and anti-Ukrainian propaganda.

"This is symptomatic. Hungarians said clearly: enough. This will have consequences for other parties and movements in Europe that promote similar rhetoric. I also want to set Ukrainians’ expectations at a realistic level. Ahead lies painstaking, pragmatic and measured work to find common ground, restore mutual respect and advance shared pragmatic interests. Our peoples deserve for us to travel this path, and we will work to restore good-neighbourly relations in the interests of our two countries and Europe as a whole," the minister concluded.