Hungarian and Ukrainian diplomats reached a deal on Hungarian minority rights late on June 3, allowing Ukraine and Moldova to finally start de facto accession talks with the European Union later this month, after two years of Budapest vetoing this step under its previous government.The news was announced by Cyprus, which is currently chairing the rotating six-month presidency of the Council of the EU: “Today the Cyprus Presidency initiated the preparation for the formal opening of cluster one in the accession negotiations of Ukraine and Moldova.”The first cluster consists of a handful of EU accession chapters known as the “fundamentals” that are opened first but closed last as they deal with complicated reforms in areas such as the judiciary, public administration, and state financial control.Both Ukraine and Moldova, which has been coupled with Kyiv through the entire EU accession process so far, were hoping that all six clusters would be opened immediately, but RFE/RL diplomatic sources in Brussels, speaking under the condition of anonymity, have said that it is likely that only the first cluster will be opened in June whereas the rest might be opened later in 2026.Unanimity of all 27 EU member states is needed for all steps related to EU enlargement.Hungary BlocksBoth countries became official EU candidate countries in the summer of 2022. In 2024, accession talks formally began, even though Hungary quickly blocked real negotiations, citing discrimination of the rights of ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine. The Hungarian prime minister at the time, Viktor Orban, also delayed and blocked financial and military aid from the EU destined for Kyiv and watered down the bloc’s sanctions on Russia.