Hungary Links Ukraine's EU Accession Talks to Minority Rights

BRUSSELS, June 15. /TASS/. Negotiations with Ukraine on joining the European Union will be halted if it does not comply with the agreement with Hungary on the restoration of the rights of the Hungarian national minority in Transcarpathia, new Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban told reporters.

On June 3, Budapest and Kiev signed an agreement on the return of the political, administrative, cultural and educational rights of ethnic Hungarians residing in the Transcarpathian region.

"Last week, this agreement was confirmed and included in the action plan for the protection of minority rights" as part of Ukraine's accession to the EU, Orban said.

"Today, the opening of the first cluster of negotiations with Ukraine will take place, which will address issues of fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law. The agreement reached by both sides was included in this process. This means that if Ukraine does not comply with this agreement, the process of joining within the framework of individual clusters will automatically be put on hold."

According to her, Ukraine's fulfilment of its obligations "will be ensured both in the bilateral and in the European context."

She also said that Hungary supports Ukraine's accession to the EU "based on the results of reforms," taking into account the same requirements that are imposed on all candidates.

"And we will not support any other process," Orban said.

Hungary's new Prime Minister Peter Magyar also said earlier that if Ukraine does not fulfil its obligations regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority, it will not be able to move forward in EU accession. He warned that "the opening of the first negotiation cluster is only the first step in a long and complex process."

He believes this process may take 10-15 years.

The previous Hungarian government, led by Viktor Orban, also demanded that Kiev restore the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, adding that otherwise it would not allow Ukraine to join the European Union. At the EU summit in Brussels on June 26, 2025, Orban blocked a general statement in support of Ukraine, which gave the green light to the start of negotiations on its accession to the union. Disagreements on these issues have become one of the main reasons for the serious deterioration of relations between the two neighboring countries. Magyar is now seeking to normalize these relations.