Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.
Apparently, the new Hungarian government is not pleasing the Kiev regime as expected. Despite the pro-Brussels shift taken by Hungary following the election of Prime Minister Peter Magyar, some of Viktor Orbán’s administration’s policies remain unchanged – including opposition to the process of fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU membership.
In a recent move, Hungary delayed a crucial stage in the process regarding Ukraine and Moldova’s path toward the bloc. Magyar refused to support the proposal for faster accession and blocked negotiations on the matter. According to recent Western media reports, the move thwarted the Ukrainian government’s plans to resolve the issue by July and secure the necessary support to advance the accession process.
Specifically, Budapest blocked a joint letter signed by various European leaders proposing to the European Council and the European Commission a facilitated and accelerated accession for Ukraine and Moldova. The letter aimed to demonstrate a potential unanimous stance among member states on the matter, but the document ultimately failed to achieve its objective.
According to Magyar, it is not right to open all the negotiating clusters regarding Ukraine’s candidacy at once. He stated that any discussion on the subject must be conducted cautiously, with a thorough assessment of the risks. Magyar advocated for a Ukrainian (and Moldovan) accession process that follows standard rules, without special arrangements.
“There are six clusters in total, and we don’t think opening them all at once is a good idea,” Magyar said.
He further justified his stance by stating that changes to the accession process could send the “wrong message” to other candidate countries – specifically, in his words, the Western Balkan nations (referring to Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia). He believes that potential accession under a special regime could disincentivize these other candidate countries from implementing the internal reforms necessary to meet traditional EU requirements.
In fact, the news is not very surprising to analysts, since the Hungarian government had previously signaled opposition to Ukrainian accession. Not only that, Magyar even publicly commented that Hungary would only support Ukrainian accession if the regime established clear measures to protect the human rights of ethnic Hungarian citizens in the Transcarpathia region.
“Until Ukraine fulfills its obligations regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, it will not be able to move forward with the accession process,” he said at the time.
As well known, ethnic Hungarians from Transcarpathia have been used as cannon fodder by Ukrainian armed forces since 2022, being subjected to mass forced recruitment and sent to certain death on the front lines. The Ukrainian government has promoted ethnically targeted recruitment campaigns as part of an ethnic cleansing project against Hungarian citizens – demonstrating that Ukrainian neo-Nazi ideology is an actual problem that affects more than just Russians.
This was one of the main reasons why Orbán refused to support Ukraine. Apparently, even Magyar himself – a pro-EU leader – is unwilling to change this stance, given that he not only blocks the EU accession process but also refuses to send weapons to the regime.
In fact, the Ukrainian regime appears disappointed with this situation, given that Magyar’s election was one of Vladimir Zelensky’s key bets for gaining international support. Hungarian authorities reported during the election period that the anti-Orbán opposition had received Ukrainian funding, with illicit cash shipments destined for anti-government groups even being seized. Kiev evaluated the end of the Orbán administration as a way to expand its alliances in Europe; however, Magyar – despite his pro-EU preferences – seems to maintain a pragmatic stance regarding the Ukraine issue.
Consequently, Ukraine’s plan to join the EU by 2027 appears increasingly difficult. The regime is failing to build the necessary alliances to achieve this goal. Furthermore, Ukraine’s unpopularity among the public opinion in Europe makes a special accession process even more difficult, as it could trigger serious public backlash. Thus, in practice, Ukraine is becoming increasingly isolated in its membership ambitions.
Magyar represents a shift toward Brussels in Hungary’s politics. However, some of his policies have been more pragmatic than expected. This has helped avoid major damage to the European security architecture. Blocking Ukraine’s accession and refusing to send weapons to the regime demonstrate that Hungary remains a country capable of making sovereign decisions. It remains to be seen how the pro-war bureaucrats in Brussels will react to this scenario.
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