Hungary offers to let Ukrainian grain cross to Western Europe

Ukrainian grain could travel across Hungary toward Western Europe provided it did not stay in the country, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar told RTL. He outlined that position in an interview published Oct. 17, following Ukraine's appeal for access to overland routes.

At the Oct. 16 EU summit in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian attacks had made Black Sea grain shipments impossible. He asked Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to permit transit toward Western countries, as they had early in Russia's full-scale invasion.

Zelensky also raised the use of sealed rail cars with Magyar during their first bilateral meeting, saying such transport would substantially help Ukraine. Magyar said Hungary had operated an established transit procedure three to four years earlier, but it was subsequently dropped.

Viktor Orban's previous government had prohibited Ukrainian agricultural products and declared a state of emergency. Agricultural concerns also remain an obstacle in Poland, which is holding up part of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations because of the potential impact on Polish farmers.

The leaders met during the same week that Zelensky signed legislation covering national minorities' educational rights. Hungary had demanded that measure before allowing accession talks to advance. Magyar said parliamentary approval and the immediate beginning of implementation represented an initial step toward restoring mutual trust.