Today in Budapest, Vitalii Maletskyi, Mayor of Kremenchuk, and Péter Niedermüller, Mayor of Erzsébetváros, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between their communities.

Meaning of the partnership

Erzsébetváros is a historic district of Budapest. Known as the heart of the city’s Jewish quarter, it is also the birthplace of four Nobel Prize winners and is home to a significant Ukrainian diaspora. Partnership with such a community opens up new opportunities for Kremenchuk in the following areas, including:

• economic cooperation;
• cultural and educational exchanges;
• humanitarian and sports projects.

Specific steps

One of the first outcomes of this collaboration will be a recreational trip for 60 children from Kremenchuk to Hungary in summer 2026. Children of deceased Ukrainian defenders and veterans will stay at a camp on Lake Balaton.

Significance for the communities

Cooperation with Erzsébetváros shows how, even in times of war, Ukrainian cities:

• establish international partnerships;
• attract support for their residents;
• create a positive image of Ukraine at the European level.

In addition to the humanitarian and cultural areas covered, the Memorandum establishes the basis for economic cooperation, which could drive post-war community reconstruction in the future.

Fedir Shandor, Ukraine’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Hungary, played a key role in facilitating the agreements and supporting the organisation of the trip, as well as the development of community partnerships.

‘This trip is historic and will foster friendship and partnership between the Hungarian and Ukrainian peoples,’ said Vitalii Maletskyi, Mayor of Kremenchuk.