The Hungarian government has lifted restrictions on Ukrainian media outlets that had been blocked by the previous Orbán administration in 2025, according to DailyNewsHungary. The decision was announced by Hungary’s Minister for Social Affairs and Culture, Zoltán Tarr.
According to Tarr, the decision was made jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and revokes measures affecting 12 Ukrainian news websites introduced by the former government of the Fidesz party in response to Ukraine’s actions against certain pro-Russian Hungarian media outlets.
Explaining the move, Tarr said there is a clear distinction between independent journalism and media that spreads Russian propaganda.
“It is not possible to equate independent media with those that spread Russian propaganda, both in Hungary and internationally,” the minister said.
He criticized the previous government’s approach, arguing that blocking Ukrainian media contributed to political division rather than serving the public interest. According to Tarr, the current government aims to build constructive relations with neighboring countries and improve conditions for ethnic Hungarian communities living abroad.
“Our task is to build good-neighborly relations, which also helps the situation of Hungarians living outside the country. This is a shared national cause,” he said.
Tarr noted that the decision was made following consultations with the parliamentary spokesperson for the Ukrainian national minority in Hungary, Liliána Grexa. According to the minister, Grexa herself initiated the proposal to lift the restrictions and emphasized the importance of access to Ukrainian-language news both for members of the Ukrainian community in Hungary and for refugees living in the country.
Tarr added that recently concluded agreements with Kyiv have already delivered more progress in a few weeks than was achieved during the previous administration’s 16 years in power.
