First Ukrainian school opened in Hungary

Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry reports.

According to the report, the opening of the first Ukrainian school was the result of agreements reached during the visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Kyiv in July this year.

The initiative to create an educational institution for Ukrainian children abroad belonged to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Hungarian side provided full support to the project.

Classes will be taught in Ukrainian from grades 1 to 12, and the programme will include the study of Hungarian and English as foreign languages. The school is funded by the Hungarian state budget.

"The opening of this school is an important step towards the development of the Ukrainian global community. Ensuring access to education in the mother tongue is a priority for President Zelenskyy and an important part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' new comprehensive policy on Ukrainians abroad. The school in Budapest will not only contribute to the preservation of Ukrainian identity, but will also help our children adapt to a foreign environment without losing their cultural roots," said Dmytro Kuleba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Head of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration Viktor Mykyta, Head of the Subcommittee on Higher Education of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation Yulia Hryshyna and Ambassador of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for Ukrainians worldwide Mariana Betsa.

• On Friday, August 30, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen criticised Hungary and its Prime Minister Viktor Orban for obstructing aid to Ukraine.