The meeting in Gödöllő, near Budapest, brought together Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. The gathering marked the first high-level summit of the Visegrad Four, or V4, since disagreements over former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Russia-friendly policies strained cooperation among member states.

Magyar, who took office following Hungary’s April parliamentary election, has made rebuilding relations with regional partners a central element of his foreign policy. Speaking after the summit, he declared that the V4 had regained momentum and proposed deeper cooperation on transportation, energy security, agriculture and migration management.

Among the initiatives discussed was a proposal to develop a high-speed railway connecting the capitals of the four member countries, a project Magyar said could strengthen economic integration across Central Europe.

“The V4 is back,” Magyar told reporters after the meeting, describing Central Europe as an increasingly important political and economic center within the European Union.

The Visegrad Group, established in 1991, has traditionally coordinated positions among the four countries on issues ranging from migration and regional development to European Union policy. However, cooperation weakened after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exposed differences among members over military assistance to Kyiv and relations with Moscow.

Under Orbán, Hungary repeatedly blocked or delayed several European Union initiatives linked to Ukraine, creating tensions with Poland, one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters within the bloc.

Since taking office, Magyar has sought to reverse that approach. His government recently reached an agreement with Ukraine regarding the rights of Hungary’s ethnic minority community in western Ukraine and subsequently removed Budapest’s opposition to the launch of Ukraine’s EU accession process.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the V4 could once again become an influential voice in European affairs if member states coordinate positions ahead of European Council meetings.

He said closer consultation among the four countries would allow Central Europe to exert greater influence on policy decisions within the EU.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, both previously aligned with Orbán on several regional issues, also expressed support for renewing the group’s role. Babiš described the alliance as once again fully operational and argued that the four countries could play an important role in shaping Europe’s future.

Despite renewed cooperation, differences remain over support for Ukraine. Both Babiš and Fico have reduced or opposed military and financial assistance for Kyiv, contrasting with Poland’s more robust backing of Ukraine’s defense efforts.

The summit nonetheless reflected a broader effort by member states to focus on areas of common interest while rebuilding trust within the regional alliance.

Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the Visegrad Group and is scheduled to transfer leadership of the bloc to Slovakia at the end of June.