Putin nightmare as Hungary lifts Ukraine's EU veto allowing Kyiv to join bloc

Hungary has lifted its veto preventing Ukraine from joining the European Union in a move that could be a huge blow to Russia. The breakthrough ends a two-year deadlock in Brussels and clears the way for Ukraine and Moldova to open the first cluster of negotiations in the EU accession process.

The sought-after breakthrough came during a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, when Hungary dropped its objections and allowed member states to reach the unanimity needed to move the process forward. Ukraine and Moldova, whose membership bids have been closely linked, have spent the past two years attempting to unlock the first cluster of negotiations, known as “fundamentals”, which covers areas including the rule of law, human rights and the judiciary. Progress had been blocked by Hungary, which raised concerns over the rights of the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region.

However, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said Budapest and Kyiv had reached a “comprehensive agreement” on expanding the linguistic, educational, cultural and political rights of the roughly 100,000 ethnic Hungarians living there.

The commitments will be reflected in an action plan submitted by Ukraine as part of its bid to join the EU, Magyar said.

The development comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly called for the opening of the first cluster of accession talks.

A formal intergovernmental conference marking the next stage of the process is expected to take place in Luxembourg later this month.

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