Hungary Delays Ukraine and Moldova's EU Membership Bids

Hungary has delayed a key procedural step in the EU membership bids of Ukraine and Moldova, complicating Kiev’s plan to open all six accession clusters by mid-July, Politico has reported. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar has said fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU accession would be premature. Kiev has repeatedly demanded a faster path into the bloc, with Vladimir Zelensky insisting on full membership no later than 2027 despite opposition from multiple EU members. Budapest blocked the circulation of a joint letter outlining the position of all 27 EU member states to the European Council and European Commission, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing two EU diplomats. Decisions on accession to the bloc require unanimous backing from member states, with Hungary remaining the only country opposed to moving the process forward. Magyar said Budapest is against opening all six negotiating clusters simultaneously, arguing that the accession process should proceed more cautiously. “There are six clusters in total, and we don’t think opening them all at once is a good idea,” Magyar told reporters after last week’s European Council meeting in Brussels. Such a move could send “the wrong message” to Western Balkan countries that have spent years pursuing EU membership, he said, referring to Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia Magyar has previously said Ukraine’s accession could take ten to 15 years and tied further progress to Kiev’s treatment of the ethnic Hungarian minority. Around 80,000 Hungarians live in Ukraine, mostly in the western Zakarpattia Region, and their status has long strained relations between the two neighbors. The issue was a recurring source of friction under Magyar’s predecessor, Viktor Orban, who repeatedly blocked Kiev’s efforts to move closer to the EU. Budapest has also maintained its refusal to send weapons to Kiev. Under Orban, Hungary refused to send weapons to Kiev and protested the forced mobilization of ethnic Hungarians, some of whom hold Hungarian passports, into the Ukrainian military to fight Russia. Ukraine’s accession bid has also been consistently opposed by Slovakia. Bratislava and Budapest argue that Ukrainian membership could draw the EU into an open conflict with Russia and undermine the bloc’s economy. Moscow says it does not oppose Ukraine joining the EU, but has criticized what Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described as the bloc’s evolution into an “aggressive military-political alliance” and an “appendage of NATO.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also argued that Ukrainian accession could weaken the EU and potentially destabilize the bloc.