BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's far-right Our Homeland party would lay claim to a western region of Ukraine that is home to about 150,000 ethnic Hungarians if Ukraine loses its statehood due to Russia's invasion, the party's leader said late on Saturday. "Regarding the war in Ukraine, our message is very simple: immediate ceasefire, peace and a resolution through talks," Toroczkai said in a video posted on his party's website, calling for autonomy for ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine. "If this war ends up with Ukraine losing its statehood, because this is also on the cards, then as the only Hungarian party taking this position, let me signal that we lay claim to Transcarpathia," he said, drawing applause from the crowd. Budapest has clashed with Kyiv over what it says are curbs on the rights of roughly 150,000 ethnic Hungarians to use their native tongue. Last month all European Union states except Hungary, which is also a member of NATO, agreed to start EU accession talks with Ukraine.

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Persons: Laszlo Toroczkai, Toroczkai, Viktor Orban, Zoltan Kovacs, Peter Szijjarto, Dmytro Kuleba, Denys Shmyhal, Boldizsar Gyori, William Maclean Organizations: Homeland, Dutch Forum for Democracy, Ukraine, Hungarian Foreign Ministry, Hungarian, Union, NATO Locations: BUDAPEST, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Budapest, Hungarian, Hungary