Hungary bans imports of agricultural products from Ukraine

Hungarian authorities have decided to ban the import of agricultural products from Ukraine. Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced this on his X page (formerly Twitter).

,,The Hungarian government is completely opposed to the import of Ukrainian agricultural products”, the statement said.

Earlier this year, former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called on European farmers to oppose imports of cheap grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine and the countries of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). The politician had mentioned that the interests of farmers in the European Union had come under threat.

Taking an even firmer stance, Szabolcs Bóna, the Minister of Agriculture and Food, declared on May 21 that he would not allow Ukrainian goods to threaten the livelihoods of Hungarian farmers or the supply of healthy food to the population.

According to the minister, protecting Hungarian products, agricultural lands and farmers is a matter of national interest. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture will take the necessary measures to ensure that the protection of the local market becomes enforceable and clear again.

On the other hand, Kyiv is trying not to react hostilely to Budapest. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced that a meeting between Prime Minister Magyar and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is already being prepared.

Magyar has called on the international community to draw up a new treaty with security guarantees for Ukraine, but expects Kyiv to act in return on the restoration of the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia, a region in western Ukraine.