Hungary may support Ukraine’s EU accession talks within the coming weeks

Hungary may support the start of official negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union within the coming weeks.

This is reported by Politico, citing European diplomats.

The conclusion was prompted by two events that occurred on the same day: Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán held a phone call with her Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, and the start of consultations between Budapest and Kyiv on restoring the rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians was announced.

“Hungary’s move to begin talks with Ukraine on the rights of Hungarian minorities is a signal that Budapest will likely support the start of official negotiations on Kyiv’s EU accession within the coming weeks,” Politico’s article states.

On May 18, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated that Ukraine’s fulfillment of 11 demands to restore the rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians is a prerequisite for the country to approve the start of EU enlargement talks.

At the end of April, Magyar also spoke of his intention to initiate talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in June. Zelensky’s office has already responded to the proposal for a meeting.