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Hungary has blocked the first block of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union, an EU diplomat told RMF FM.
It is known that on Friday the Polish presidency presented a letter with the conditions for opening the "Fundamental Issues" cluster, which will be sent to Ukraine. This concerns the preparation and adoption of two roadmaps. One of them concerns the plan of reforms in the field of the rule of law, and the other - public administration reform.
Such a letter was supported by many EU countries, with the exception of one delegation, and a unanimous decision is required for its sending.
According to the RMF FM correspondent, Hungary has put forward additional conditions to Ukraine on this issue, namely, the country demands a plan to protect national minorities.
“This issue could delay or even make it impossible to open the first cluster in April. Especially since this is only the first stage of the procedure, which contains two more decisions that must be made unanimously (and therefore risk being blocked),” the publication emphasized.
RMF FM emphasized that the blocking by Hungary occurred when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated in Munich that the EU should accelerate the process of Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
"Poland wants to open two of the six negotiation clusters (areas) with Ukraine during its six-month presidency. This is the "Fundamentals" cluster, which concerns the rule of law and the values on which the EU is based, and the "External Relations" cluster, which concerns foreign and defense policy," the publication recalled.
The position of the Hungarian authorities on Ukraine – latest news
As previously reported, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban crudely ridiculed the EU's intention to remain with Ukraine, saying that Brussels allegedly "supports murder."
“While President Trump and President Putin are negotiating peace, EU officials are making empty statements. You can’t beg for a seat at the negotiating table. You have to earn it! With strength, good leadership, and smart diplomacy,” he wrote.
Hungary's European Affairs Minister Janos Boka, who is close to Orban, also said his country would only agree to new sanctions against Russia after reaching an agreement with Trump. He noted that the European Union should be "very careful" when adopting new sanctions against Russia.
