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Hungary will support the opening of Ukraine's first European Union accession cluster if Kyiv fulfills commitments made under a new agreement on the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said Wednesday.
“We have reached a comprehensive agreement with Ukraine on expanding the linguistic, educational, cultural, and political rights of the more than 100,000 members of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia,” Magyar wrote on X.
The Hungarian premier described the accord as a "historic agreement" and said it followed several weeks of intensive negotiations between Budapest and Kyiv.
According to Magyar, political and religious organizations representing the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia also participated in the talks.
Magyar said the Ukrainian government had committed to incorporating the agreed measures into its legal system in the near future.
As a result, he said, the Hungarian minority in western Ukraine would enjoy significantly broader educational, cultural, linguistic and political rights.
“These commitments will also be included in Ukraine’s action plan submitted to the European Union. If this happens, the Hungarian government will support the opening of Ukraine’s first accession cluster,” he said.
The issue of minority rights has long been a source of tension between the two neighboring countries and had become one of Budapest's main objections to advancing Ukraine's EU accession process.
The European Union formally opened accession negotiations with Ukraine in June 2024, launching a lengthy process that requires candidate countries to meet EU standards across a wide range of policy areas, from agriculture to the rule of law.
However, moving negotiations forward has been complicated by Hungarian opposition.
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Following the departure of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban after April's elections, Magyar signaled that Budapest could support progress in Ukraine's accession bid if outstanding bilateral issues were resolved.
While backing the opening of the first accession cluster, Magyar reiterated that Hungary remains opposed to an accelerated path to EU membership for Ukraine.
He said that if Ukraine succeeds in completing all 33 accession chapters over the next 10 to 15 years, Hungary would support its accession, subject to approval in a legally binding referendum.
Ukraine's bid to join the European Union gained momentum after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, but progress has faced repeated obstacles amid concerns raised by some member states, particularly Hungary.
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