Hungary once again blocked the progress of Ukraine's accession process to the European Union, leading to the postponement of the opening of new chapters of accession negotiations until September 1.
According to the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, during the meeting of the EU Council Working Party on Enlargement and Countries Negotiating Accession (COELA) on July 22, it was not possible to reach a consensus on opening negotiation clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine and Moldova, as Budapest raised objections.
The decision defers the examination of the issue until after the summer recess of the European institutions, with the most likely date being September 1.
Only Moldova received Budapest's approval
According to the report, Hungary appeared willing to approve progress only for Moldova, a choice that provoked reactions from member states such as Estonia and Lithuania.
The two Baltic countries insist that the European path of Ukraine and Moldova must progress in parallel, a fact that ultimately led to the postponement for both candidacies.
Continuation of Orban's policy
Although the new prime minister of Hungary, Peter Magyar, has differentiated himself on several issues from his predecessor Viktor Orban, on the Ukrainian issue he appears to maintain a cautious stance.
According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the new Hungarian government seeks first to resolve bilateral differences with Kyiv, primarily regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in western Ukraine, before allowing further progress in accession negotiations.
At the same time, Budapest continues to rule out sending weapons to Ukraine, arguing that the new government's priority is the country's economic stabilization and that the necessary military capabilities for military assistance to Kyiv do not exist.
The reasons behind Budapest's stance
Russian analyst Mikhail Vedernikov, from the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, assesses that Magyar's approach is largely a continuation of Orban's policy, albeit less confrontational.
As he states, the new Hungarian government seeks the normalization of relations with Ukraine, without however abandoning its fundamental positions on the protection of the Hungarian minority.
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