Hungary demands protection of its national minority in exchange for opening EU negotiating clusters for Ukraine – sources
Hungary is ready to agree to opening the next negotiating clusters for Ukraine if Kyiv demonstrates progress in protecting the rights of Hungary's national minority in Ukraine.
Source: European Pravda, citing its own sources in the EU
Details: Hungary is demanding that Ukraine make progress in fulfilling its commitments towards the Hungarian minority before Budapest unblocks the opening of the clusters.
Diplomatic sources in the Council of the EU told European Pravda that during a discussion of plans to open clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine and Moldova, the Hungarian representative said Budapest is ready to move forward – but only if Ukraine takes steps towards fulfilling a bilateral agreement on protecting the rights of national minorities.
Until then, the Hungarian side said, there will be no progress on opening the clusters.
Background:
- At a meeting of the Working Party on Enlargement and Countries Negotiating Accession to the EU (COELA) on 1 September, Hungary again refused to approve the screening results for clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine.
- An earlier attempt to approve the screening results on 22 July 2026 also failed because of Hungary's position. Budapest was prepared to give the green light only to progress on cluster 3 and only for Moldova.
- The sixth negotiating cluster, External Relations, was opened for Ukraine in Brussels on 14 July. Taras Kachka, then Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, said the opening of the remaining four clusters would not be postponed until after the summer.
- Hungary had previously blocked the opening of clusters 2-6 for Ukraine at the technical level, but later agreed to lift its veto on cluster 6.
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