Péter Magyar debuted by promising a shift in tone and substance, reentering the conservative European mainstream and witnessing a return to consensus.
"We will depict Hungary differently. We will definitely not see eye to eye on every matter. I can assure you of one thing: I will serve solely the interests of Hungary and its citizens. We will not counter or reject proposals for internal political or party-related motivations," Magyar says..
He also took part in a meeting of the European People's Party, where he met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, EPP President Manfred Weber, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
"Metsola informed reporters that he had an excellent meeting with the new Hungarian prime minister, whom he knows well, and expressed his pleasure in collaborating with him."
An anonymous Hungarian diplomat at the EPP meeting mentioned that the majority of leaders felt relieved by Hungary's reintegration into the European mainstream.
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"The diplomat informed Euronews that multiple leaders indicated the EU needs to consider the swift developments occurring in Hungary during its current processes."
On the margins of the summit, Magyar met with his counterparts from the Visegrád Group and participated in discussions among the "Friends of Cohesion" — a coalition of member states aiming to maintain EU agricultural and cohesion funding in the upcoming European budget as financial negotiations commence in Brussels.
Restoring Hungary's ties with the EU and accessing frozen funds were pivotal to Magyar's electoral campaign. Since assuming office in early May, he has acted quickly to address the majority of the unresolved issues with Brussels.
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In late May, he secured a political deal with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to release €16.4 billion in funds that had been previously frozen. Soon after, Hungary removed its veto on initiating the first cluster of Ukraine's EU accession discussions— overturning Orbán's persistent resistance to Kyiv's membership attempt, which he claimed would jeopardize European security and economic interests.
Nonetheless, upon reaching the summit, Magyar expressed that Budapest still has concerns regarding the speed of the accession talks that are currently in progress.
"We are hesitant about opening all the other negotiation chapters once the first cluster is opened. We’re not the only ones expressing this — other member states share the same sentiment. We advocate for a process of admission based on merit and performance," says Magyar.
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A diplomat informed Euronews that Magyar and Zelenskyy engaged in a short private conversation. A second expressed hope that Hungary will expedite the opening of the outstanding clusters for EU accession talks "sooner than anticipated."