Budapest's announcement of talks with Kyiv regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine signals that Hungary will likely support the start of formal EU membership negotiations in the coming weeks, and a meeting between the two leaders may take place in the coming months.
According to Ukrinform, Politico stated this in an article, citing diplomats and EU officials.
Under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungary had blocked progress on Ukraine's EU membership bid. Now, with Péter Magyar in power, that obstacle may finally disappear as Budapest moves closer to adopting mainstream EU policy.
Politico notes that Magyar has made restoring ties with Brussels a top priority, aiming to unlock billions of euros in EU funds frozen over rule-of-law concerns. However, lifting Hungary's longstanding objections to Ukraine's EU membership "comes at a political cost," according to a senior EU official involved in accession talks.
"Magyar may be Orbán's fiercest rival, but the new PM is also a 'Hungary first' politician. That includes skepticism about embracing Ukraine's membership in the EU. During a news conference on Monday, Magyar insisted that Hungary would not approve Kyiv's bit unless the minority issue is solved," Politico writes.
