KYIV, June 22 – President Petro Poroshenko will join a meeting of leaders of NATO countries later this year after Hungary has lifted its boycott of Ukraine’s relations with the alliance following talks over a language dispute.

Although Hungary will continue to block lower level meetings between Ukraine and NATO, it has agreed to ease its demands over the language dispute, signaling the parties have made progress during the talks.

"We have made the first steps today, a lot of work is ahead," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Friday after the talks in Nyzhniy Solotvyn, a small Ukrainian city in TransCarpathia region.

This is the first sign of improvement in relations between Ukraine and Hungary after a major escalation since October 2017 following changes to Ukraine’s education law that has makes it mandatory for ethnic minorities to learn Ukrainian language in schools.

The law upset Hungary, which has a large ethnic minority living in the TransCarpathia region.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the United States in February urged Hungary and Ukraine to resolve their differences over Ukraine's new minority language law to unblock relations between Ukraine and NATO.

After the talks, Hungary has stopped demanding that Ukraine revoke its strict language requirements for schools, which has been a key demand previously.

Instead, Hungary asked Ukraine to approve a special bill that would extend the transition period. Also, the bill should maintain that private schools in the region will not be subject to strict Ukrainian language requirements.

"Our colleagues have promised us that there would be no obstacle to this,” Szijjarto said. “We are happy to hear that, but the promises have to be fulfilled.”

Hungary’s previously harsh stance to the law that requires more classes in Ukrainian language in high schools mirrored Russia’s position and contrasted sharply with that of Romania and Poland that also have ethnic groups living in Ukraine.

Ukraine has some 150,000 ethnic Hungarians and many Hungarian schools.

The law, which was passed in September, specifies that Ukrainian will be the main language used in schools, rolling back an option for lessons to be taught in other languages.

Ukraine approved the law amid the government’s concerns that some state-funded schools, for example Hungarian ethnic schools in TransCarpathia region, currently do not offer classes in Ukrainian language at all. (nr/ez)