Hungary to abandon opposition: Ukraine and Moldova to begin EU accession talks in June

Hungarian officials have signalled their intention to drop opposition to Ukraine's bid for EU membership. According to diplomats, both Ukraine and Moldova are on track to begin formal accession negotiations in June.

Ukraine and Moldova are set to launch formal accession negotiations with the European Union as early as June, after Hungary signalled it intends to abandon its long-standing opposition to Ukraine's membership candidacy. This was reported to POLITICO by diplomatic sources.

Hungary changes course

Hungarian officials have sent clear signals in recent weeks that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government no longer intends to block Ukraine's European integration process. This would represent a significant shift in Budapest's policy, which has repeatedly stalled both EU aid to Ukraine and the advancement of the accession process.

Hungary has been one of the main obstacles on Ukraine's path to EU membership, citing various concerns related to the rights of Ukraine's Hungarian minority and corruption issues. Should Budapest truly abandon its blocking position, it would pave the way for concrete negotiations on the accession of both Ukraine and Moldova to the European Union.

June as a key date

According to diplomatic sources, June has been set as the target date for formally opening negotiations with both countries. Moldova has generally been regarded as progressing at a faster pace in the accession process, but its fate has been closely tied to Ukraine's.

EU enlargement decisions require unanimous support from all 27 member states, making Hungary's position critically important. Ukraine submitted its application for EU membership in February 2022 shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion and received candidate status the same year in June.