Hungary Blocks EU Negotiations on Ukraine
(MENAFN) Hungary has blocked a joint European Union declaration supporting Ukraine’s accession talks, effectively halting the launch of negotiations, according to a communiqué published Thursday on the European Council’s website.
The draft statement, presented at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, had the backing of 26 out of 27 EU leaders and called for the formal opening of membership negotiations with Ukraine. However, due to the EU’s requirement for unanimity on such decisions, Hungary’s opposition has stalled progress. The communiqué indicated that the matter will be reconsidered at the council’s next session in October.
Although Hungary was not directly named in the official document, Prime Minister Viktor Orban confirmed his government's veto while speaking to reporters.
“We stopped Ukraine’s EU accession with the votes of Voks2025, and I needed it, because I was almost swept away by the public anger when I announced that Hungary would not agree to start negotiations with Ukraine,” Orban stated, referring to a national referendum that concluded on June 20. According to Orban, more than 2 million citizens—95% of participants—opposed Ukraine’s EU membership bid.
“I had to remind [the council] that the most important criterion [for accession] is that there is in fact a country,” he added. “There must be a defined identity, borders, a population, a territory, and in the case of Ukraine, none of these apply.”
Ukraine designated EU membership as a top national objective in 2019 and submitted a formal application in 2022 following the intensification of its conflict with Russia. The EU awarded Ukraine candidate status later that year, aiming for full membership by 2030.
Although Brussels continues to back Ukraine’s bid, detractors argue the country’s governance and economy remain underdeveloped, and that its admission could impose a long-term financial and military burden on the bloc. Hungary has consistently voiced concerns, warning that Ukraine’s inclusion could heighten geopolitical tensions with Russia and strain EU taxpayers. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico and several Polish officials have echoed similar reservations. Support among Poles has also waned sharply, with a recent IBRiS survey showing just 35% in favor of Ukraine’s EU entry—down from 85% in 2022.
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