Russian, Hungarian Presidents May Discuss Issue Of National Minorities In Ukraine- Kremlin

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov does not rule out that Russian President Vladimir Putin may discuss the issue of national minorities in Ukraine with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during the visit to Budapest on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th October, 2019) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov does not rule out that Russian President Vladimir Putin may discuss the issue of national minorities in Ukraine with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during the visit to Budapest on Wednesday.

"Of course, there is such a topic that both Hungarians and we are concerned about. This is the issue of minorities in neighboring territories [Ukraine]. Hungary has repeatedly said about inadmissibility of processes that take place there, so we should not rule out that it will be discussed," Peskov told reporters when asked whether Putin plans to discuss the minorities situation in Ukraine with Orban.

According to the spokesman, the two leaders are not planning to discuss the Ukrainian government.

"It's not about discussing the new or the previous government.

The government is the sovereign issue of every country," he said.

Putin will pay a working visit to Hungary on Wednesday on Orban's invitation. The sides will discuss trade, economic and international issues.

Russia and Hungary have repeatedly expressed concern about the situation with national minorities rights in Ukraine. The situation worsened due to Kiev's 2017 education law, which restricted the freedom of national minority children to study in their native languages.

About 77.5 percent of Ukraine's population are ethnic Ukrainians, while the rest are national minority groups from neighboring countries, namely Russia, Romania, Belarus, Hungary, Poland and others. Hungarians are largely concentrated in the Zakarpattia region, where they form the largest minority.