Hungary Says Ukraines Presence At NATO Meeting Undermines Unity

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday that the presence of his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, at the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels undermined the allies' unity.

"The invitation of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister violates the principle of the unity of the allies within NATO, but in the spirit of constructiveness we will participate in the meeting," he said on social media.

Szijjarto said he would make it clear to the gathering that Hungary will only back Ukraine's bid to join the military alliance if it respects the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Zakarpattia Oblast, a southwestern Ukrainian region with a sizable Hungarian population.

Hungary has been at odds with Ukraine over its treatment of ethnic and linguistic minorities who it says have seen their right to be taught in their native language in public institutions curtailed by Ukraine's controversial 2017 education law.