At a joint press conference with his Polish peer, Magyar noted that it was no coincidence that he had chosen to go to Poland on his first official visit. Magyar said he is also open to expanding the V4 to include the Scandinavian countries, Austria, Croatia, Romania, or the Western Balkan countries that have not yet joined the EU.

He expressed hope that the V4 countries could hold a meeting in Budapest at the end of June. "Today, the heart of Europe beats in Central Europe," he said, adding that they must work to make this heartbeat as strongly as possible.

Tusk praised Tisza's historic election victory and Magyar's visit to the Polish city of Gdansk, which marked "the beginning of a new European spring". "Your historic victory in Hungary not only means that Hungary has returned to Europe, but that hope has returned not only to Hungary, but to Europe, and indeed to the world," the Polish prime minister said.

Tusk agreed that the revival of the V4 is a broader project and that their aim is to restore the region's former significance. The Polish leader said Poland had fully eliminated its dependence on Russian energy supplies and had offered assistance to Magyar in this area.

According to Polish press reports, the talks included general remarks on energy security, though neither prime minister publicly commented on speculation that Poland's LNG terminal under construction in Gdansk could help diversify Hungary's gas imports, Hvg.hu adds.

Tusk said the two sides would work to develop a common position on Ukraine, adding that their views on the issue were broadly aligned. He also stressed that Ukraine should be subject to the same accession criteria that applied to Poland during its EU accession process.

Hungary and Poland had faced similar challenges in recent years, including rule-of-law disputes, access to EU funding, and anti-corruption efforts, he said, adding that he looks to Poland's experience for its "remarkable results."

Hungary had failed to use EU funds effectively over the past 15-20 years, while Poland and several other countries had successfully turned European support into tangible development. Poland remained a "model student" in this respect, he added, arguing that Hungary should learn from its neighbours and strengthen cooperation rather than envy their success.

He emphasised that Hungary under his government would not serve as a refuge for internationally wanted individuals. Referring to former Polish justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro and former deputy minister Marcin Romanowski, who fled to Hungary to avoid arrest, he said he had expected them not to remain in Hungary after his inauguration. He pledged full cooperation with Poland on the matter.

According to press reports, the two former PiS politicians who had previously sought refuge in Hungary amid legal proceedings launched against them in Poland had already fled Hungary after Fidesz's election defeat. Magyar was given a heart-shaped pin with the colours of the Hungarian flag by Tusk, evoking the pink heart symbol of his coalition's 2023 campaign.

The Hungarian prime minister later met senior Polish parliamentary officials before travelling to Gdansk, where Tusk personally accompanied him on a tour of the city and introduced him to former Polish president Lech Walesa. The former leader of the Solidarity movement presented Magyar with an original Solidarity protest sign.

Polish media recalled that Walesa had recently welcomed the opportunity to meet Magyar while voicing disappointment with Orban, whom he had once supported. Magyar also held talks with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who underlined the importance of reducing reliance on Russian gas and referred to regional cooperation frameworks, including the Three Seas Initiative.

Tisza ministers also held constructive talks with their Polish peers, according to press reports. Minister of Transport and Investment David Vitezy, commenting after his talks with Dariusz Klimczak, the Polish Minister responsible for infrastructure, said they would lobby together in Brussels to ensure that as much EU funding as possible is directed toward developing railways in Central and Eastern Europe.

Minister of Economy and Energy Istvan Kapitany discussed expanding economic cooperation in talks with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Domanski on opportunities for Hungarian-Polish economic cooperation.

The statement by Hungary's Foreign Ministry said the sides discussed strengthening Hungarian-Polish cooperation based on mutual respect, partnership, and a shared European future, following a meeting between Foreign Minister Anita Orban and his Polish colleague Radoslaw Sikorski. Talks also focused on regional energy cooperation and security issues.

The Polish FM reportedly joked about Hungary's chief diplomat's surname. Sikorski had earlier congratulated the Tisza Party and invited Orban to Warsaw shortly after the Hungarian parliamentary election, expressing support for restoring bilateral relations after what he described as several difficult years.

Anita Orban announced earlier this week that he had agreed with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to launch expert-level consultations on the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine, involving representatives of the Hungarian community.

Peter Magyar is heading to Austria on May 21 for talks with Chancellor Christian Stocker and to meet executives of major Austrian companies operating in Hungary, including SPAR, Erste Group, Raiffeisen Bank International and UNIQA.

According to Austrian press reports, discussions may touch on Hungary's sectoral taxes. Magyar is also expected to meet Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen.

Die Presse learned that Magyar has cancelled his participation at the 30th Wachau Europe Forum due to urgent domestic matters. He had originally been scheduled to attend the forum as a guest of honour and meet representatives of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.