Hungary blocking start of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations – Polish MFA
Photo: Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski (Getty Images)
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that Ukraine's EU accession talks are being delayed due to Hungary, as Budapest is blocking the negotiations, Onet informs.
"We feel a special responsibility for this (the start of Ukraine's EU membership negotiations - ed.). Of course, we would like to open one, or possibly two, negotiation clusters, but unfortunately, our longtime friend and former ally — Hungary — is blocking the decision," Sikorski said after the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.
According to the minister, there was a lively discussion at the Council meeting regarding Ukraine’s EU membership negotiations. The ministers agreed that the decision to start negotiations should depend "not on bilateral issues, but on meeting the criteria."
Sikorski also noted that he decided to appeal to the Polish opposition to influence Hungary's position.
"I have to reach out to the Polish opposition, which maintains close ideological ties with Viktor Orbán’s government and party, and ask them to do something good for Poland and Europe — namely, to convince their ideological allies to unblock these issues," the foreign minister emphasized.
In recent days, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán issued an ultimatum to the European Union. One of his demands was to reject Ukraine's EU accession.
As EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted, the EU is looking for a mechanism to counter Hungary's obstruction of decisions, including the possible formation of coalitions.
Ukraine's EU accession
Following the official launch of accession negotiations on June 25, 2024, the country has focused on harmonizing national legislation with European standards and implementing the necessary reforms.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that Ukraine should be ready to join the EU by the end of 2025. He emphasized that the government is actively working to meet the necessary membership criteria.
Earlier, Poland’s foreign minister, speaking about his country's priorities during its presidency of the Council of the European Union, noted that efforts would be concentrated on ensuring an effective pace of the organization’s expansion.
