Hungary blocks EU push to speed up Ukraine accession talks, PM says

Hungary has succeeded in removing references to accelerating Ukraine’s accession process from a European Union leaders’ statement, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who attended the EU summit in Brussels for the first time.

Magyar said the final wording on Ukraine’s EU membership path was significantly revised following Budapest’s objections during negotiations leading up to the two-day summit, Caliber.Az reports. 

https://t.co/rcagJ9mMuO
Az első sajtótájékoztató az első Európai Tanács előtt.
Hosszú este lesz.
Amit ígérhetek, és amit már Brüsszelben is tudnak, miniszterelnökként mindig a magyar emberek és szeretett hazánk érdekét fogom képviselni.

— Magyar Péter (Ne féljetek) (@magyarpeterMP) June 18, 2026

“During the drafting process over the past few weeks, the statement was significantly revised at Hungary’s suggestion. Furthermore, regarding Ukraine’s accession to the EU, wording referring to the acceleration of this process was removed from the text at the last minute on my initiative. It was not an easy task,” Magyar wrote on X.

In the final summit conclusions on Ukraine, EU leaders reaffirmed procedural steps in Kyiv’s accession process but omitted any language calling for an expedited timeline.

The paragraph instead stated: “The European Council welcomes the holding of the intergovernmental conference on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and the opening of the cluster on fundamental issues on June 15, 2026, and looks forward to the opening of other clusters in accordance with a merit-based approach.”

The decision reflects ongoing divisions within the EU over the pace of Ukraine’s integration, with Hungary repeatedly expressing opposition to fast-tracking the process.

According to Magyar, the new Hungarian government believes Ukraine should be assessed under the same criteria as other candidate countries, rather than receiving accelerated treatment.

By Sabina Mammadli