Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto arrived in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod on Jan. 29 for bilateral talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the president.

The president’s office said that a “frank and constructive dialogue is expected.”

Hungary and Ukraine have had a contentious relationship that has worsened since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has maintained close ties with Russia, bucking the united front that the EU has tried to present in support of Ukraine.

Orban has opposed the launch of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, and blocked the passage of a 50 billion euro ($54 billion) aid package for Ukraine in December. EU leaders are set to meet on Feb. 1 to vote on the package again.

The meeting in Uzhhorod was first announced earlier in January. One of the potential items to discuss was a possible visit by Orban to Ukraine, which would be his first trip to the country since 2010.

Orban and President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke briefly during the inauguration ceremony for Argentine President Javier Milei on Dec. 10, in a conversation that Zelensky described as “frank.”

In the lead-up to Szijjarto’s visit, the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, considered to be closely affiliated with Orban, published an article condemning the state of Ukraine’s press freedom.

Read also: Exclusive: New insights point to Hungary’s collaboration with Moscow on transfer of Ukrainian POWs

We’ve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.