Hungary stands firm: No EU veto lift for Ukraine despite Trump's push
Photo: Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary (Getty Images)
Hungary will not lift its veto on opening negotiation clusters for Ukraine's EU accession.
This was stated in Copenhagen by Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, reports index.hu.
At a press conference following an informal meeting of the EU Council on Foreign Affairs, Szijjártó once again criticized the EU's support for Ukraine and claimed that most EU countries are "not interested in the success of peace negotiations."
He added that the Hungarian government is under heavy pressure to accelerate Ukraine’s EU membership and impose new sanctions on Russia. However, Szijjártó emphasized that the Hungarian government "will protect the country and the economy from this pressure, as well as the Hungarian people from the negative consequences of the war."
According to him, Budapest will not "push Ukraine into the EU," because it would "destroy Hungarian farmers, threaten Hungary's food security, and let Ukrainian organized crime into Hungary."
"That's why we will not allow the substantive part of the accession negotiations to open, meaning the specific chapters of the talks," Szijjártó said.
The Hungarian minister also stated that Budapest will not support proposals for new sanctions. According to him, the government is acting to "avoid raising utility costs" in Hungary.
Trump tried to convince Hungary to lift its veto
In June 2025, the EU officially began accession talks with Ukraine. The next step is supposed to be the opening of so-called negotiation clusters, but this is currently blocked by Hungary.
Recently, American media outlet Politico reported that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán might change his stance after speaking with US President Donald Trump. Decisions were expected to follow soon.
EU looks for ways to bypass Hungary's veto
At the same time, according to US channel Bloomberg, the EU is exploring ways to circumvent Hungary's veto on Ukraine. Ahead of the Copenhagen meeting, a document with proposals circulated among EU countries.
