Kyiv and Budapest discussed conditions for unlocking Ukraine's EU accession
Photo: Taras Kachka (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Taras Kachka, visited Budapest for talks on advancing Ukraine’s EU integration process, according to Kachka’s post on Facebook.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Taras Kachka, met in Budapest with Hungarian EU Affairs Minister Janos Boka, Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar, and Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy.
The talks covered Ukraine’s progress on EU integration, preparations for opening the first negotiating clusters, protection of minority rights, initiatives for sustainable peace, and prospects for developing bilateral relations.
Kachka emphasized that direct dialogue and cooperation between Ukraine and Hungary are the most effective means of realizing common interests. He underlined that Ukraine’s EU accession would strengthen Ukrainian-Hungarian relations and deepen ties between the two societies.
Hungary's opposition to Ukraine's accession
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly said he does not support Ukraine’s EU membership. Ahead of the June EU summit, Orban argued that the war in Ukraine was the "main problem," claiming Hungary could not support the integration of a country at war.
Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski acknowledged earlier this year that the biggest failure of his country’s EU Council presidency was the inability to open any accession chapters with Kyiv due to Budapest’s veto.
Orban even received a phone call from US President Donald Trump, a close ideological ally, over his stance.
Still, observers say Hungary is unlikely to change its position soon. Orban has pledged to do everything possible to block Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, saying otherwise his "conscience will not allow it."
