Hungary unexpectedly suspends talks with Ukraine
Photo: Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó (Getty Images)
Hungary postpones talks with Ukraine on national minorities, which were scheduled for May 12, informs Ukraine's Ministry of Justice.
"Hungary has postponed negotiations with Ukraine regarding national minorities," the statement said.
According to the ministry, the Hungarian side rescheduled the consultations planned for May 12 with the Ukrainian delegation. The meeting was supposed to mark the beginning of regular negotiations.
The Ministry of Justice reminded that earlier in Budapest, the parties had agreed on the work of expert groups to review 11 recommendations from Hungary.
"The Ukrainian delegation was expecting the first interim results by May 12. The postponed consultations were planned to take place in Uzhhorod, where the Ukrainian delegation had arrived," the post said.
Why the issue of national minorities is important
In 2023, Ukraine gained the status of a candidate for EU membership. On June 23, 2022, the European Council officially granted Ukraine this status. However, to become a member of the EU, it is necessary to meet seven conditions.
In November 2023, it became known that the European Commission considered four out of seven criteria for the start of EU membership negotiations as fully met.
One of these criteria is the change in national minority legislation. At that time, the European Commission noted that not all recommendations outlined "in the opinion of June 2023 and its subsequent opinion of October 2023" had been met, specifically, changes had not been made to "the laws on the state language, media, and education."
In December 2023, the Verkhovna Rada supported the national minorities bill in its first reading.
Hungary's espionage agents arrested in Ukraine
On May 9, the SSU (Security Service of Ukraine) uncovered Hungarian military intelligence agents for the first time in Ukraine's history. They were spying in Zakarpattia. There were two of them, and they were representatives of Hungary’s intelligence services.
The investigation revealed that the supervisor of both individuals was a career officer of Hungary’s military intelligence, whose identity has already been confirmed by the Security Service.
One of the agents was a 40-year-old former soldier from the Berehove district, who was recruited and placed in "waiting mode" by foreigners back in 2021. The second agent was a former member of Ukraine's Security and Defense Forces, who had resigned from the unit in 2025.
Following this, Budapest accused Kyiv of "propaganda." Hungary also expelled two Ukrainian diplomats. In response, Ukraine expelled two Hungarian diplomats, who were given 48 hours to leave the country.
