Hungary blocks EU summit statement on Ukraine’s membership bid

At a recent summit in Brussels, the European Union failed to adopt a final statement on Ukraine due to opposition from Hungary, which blocked a key provision supporting the launch of accession talks with Kyiv.

The draft conclusions, which had included backing for the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s EU membership, could not be endorsed unanimously, as required by the bloc’s rules, Caliber.Az reports via Ukrainian media.

Despite this, the remaining 26 EU member states called on both Ukraine and the European Commission to intensify their efforts to prepare for eventual accession. “The European Council will return to this topic at its next meeting,” the official statement noted, referring to the next summit scheduled for October.

The path to EU membership requires unanimous approval by all current member states at each stage of the process. Hungary’s objection means that no official decision can be made to open formal negotiations with Ukraine until Budapest changes its stance.

Hungary also blocked broader EU financial support for Ukraine, reflecting the increasingly strained relationship between the two countries. Tensions have been mounting for months, with disagreements over minority rights, sanctions on Russia, and broader EU policy toward Kyiv.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has consistently voiced scepticism over Ukraine’s EU ambitions. In the run-up to the summit, he cited the results of a nationwide consultative referendum, in which, according to government figures, the vast majority of participants opposed Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

On June 26, Orbán stated that 2,168,431 Hungarian citizens — approximately 95 per cent of those who participated — were against granting Ukraine EU membership, while only 5 per cent expressed support. The referendum, which ran from early April to June 20, was not legally binding but was used by the government to justify its position.

Critics, including Péter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tizsa party, questioned both the methodology and turnout of the referendum. Magyar said that only around 600,000 out of Hungary’s nearly 10 million residents cast valid votes. In a Facebook post, he also raised concerns about the remote voting process, which, in his view, undermines the legitimacy of the results.

By Tamilla Hasanova