Hungary lifts its veto on Ukraine’s accession to the EU

Brussels – Hungary has signalled its intention to lift its veto on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Diplomatic sources report that yesterday (3 June), during the meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels (COREPER), the Hungarian representative withdrew his reservations and allowed the opening of the first negotiating chapter on the path that could lead to Kyiv joining the EU. 

Also yesterday, the Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on social media an agreement with Kyiv regarding the rights of national minorities. The agreement is intended to safeguard the linguistic, educational, cultural, and political rights of around 100,000 Hungarians living in the Transcarpathia region of western Ukraine. The issue had long been a source of friction between the two countries, and the reservations are said to have been withdrawn following the agreement, which was presented as the result of weeks of technical negotiations. 

Ukraine, now in its fifth year of war against Russia, is aiming to join the European Union as quickly as possible. The negotiation process, which officially began in 2024, had been blocked by a veto from the former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. As accession negotiations with Kyiv had been combined with those with Chișinău, the veto had effectively paralysed Moldova’s path to membership as well. The breakthrough became possible after Orbán was defeated in the April 2026 elections by Magyar, who had promised to restore relations between Hungary and Ukraine and took office on 9 May. 

The European Commission welcomed the news of the agreement and, during today’s press briefing (4 June), described it as “an important step paving the way for the opening of key clusters (rule of law, democratic institutions, public administration, justice, fundamental rights, and economic criteria) for Ukraine and Moldova.” Spokespersons clarified that Brussels had been in close contact with both parties during the negotiations. 

The agreement will now have to be incorporated into the action plan that Ukraine has submitted to the Commission as part of its application, a process which, according to European Commission spokespeople, will be completed “very soon.” 

However, Magyar reiterated, in the same Facebook post, his opposition to an accelerated accession process and announced that “if Ukraine were to close all 33 negotiation chapters within ten or fifteen years, Hungary will hold a binding referendum on the matter.” 

The issue of Hungary’s ban on Ukrainian agricultural products, which Brussels considers illegal, remains unresolved. The Commission has confirmed that it is engaging with Budapest “at all levels” to secure its repeal, without announcing any concrete steps.