EU moves towards Ukraine membership as Hungary lifts veto, paving way for Zelensky-Magyar meeting

The EU Council agreed to open two additional membership clusters with Ukraine after Hungary lifted its veto, bringing the total number of open clusters to four from six.

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The move follows an agreement on the rights of the Hungarian ethnic minority in Ukraine, a long-standing demand of Budapest.

The move, alongside the opening of two additional membership groups, could pave the way for a first bilateral meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar in Brussels this week, potentially marking a turning point in relations between the two neighboring countries.

Hungarian and Ukrainian diplomats are working to organize this meeting, which could take place on the sidelines of the European summit, sources told Euronews. However, no date has been set and the meeting has not yet been officially confirmed.

Magyar also raised the possibility of meeting with Zelenskyy during a media interview last weekend.

Hungary has criticized Ukraine’s education and language laws since their adoption in 2015 and 2017 respectively, as they restrict the use of minority languages ​​in schools. The dispute has sparked repeated diplomatic tensions, with Budapest under Viktor Orbán blocking Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership.

Since the Magyars’ electoral victory in April, the new Hungarian government has adopted a more pragmatic approach, seeking concrete guarantees for the Hungarian minority while signaling its willingness to let Ukraine’s European integration progress.

Budapest agreed in June to open the first two membership groups, but made further progress on the condition that kyiv strengthens legal protections for Ukraine’s ethnic Hungarian minority.

After talks with Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán on Monday in Luxembourg, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the two sides had agreed on next steps and welcomed progress in implementing their bilateral commitments.

What changes with the new law on minorities?

One of the key provisions establishes a special legal status for schools where more than half of the pupils are taught in a minority language which is also an official EU language. Schools which benefited from this status when the law came into force can retain it provided that at least 20% of their students continue to study in this language.

The law also expands the use of eligible minority languages ​​in school activities and communication, and adds safeguards for mother tongue education when schools are reorganized or closed.

Students teaching in eligible minority or indigenous languages ​​will also be able to request translated questions in external examinations, except in linguistics and literature subjects.

For Kyiv, Ukrainian remains the language of public education. The new provisions strengthen education in minority languages ​​without reversing Ukraine’s broader policy of promoting the official language.

The changes build on reforms introduced in 2023, extending protections to minorities whose languages ​​are official EU languages. Russia remains outside the scope of the new guarantees.

Beyond the accession negotiations

The opening of the next two clusters is another step in Ukraine’s long accession process, but it does not guarantee membership. kyiv still needs to carry out extensive reforms, and closing each cluster requires unanimous agreement among EU member states.

Even though Hungary’s objections appear to have been resolved, other EU countries could still stand in the way of progress.

Agriculture is expected to be one of the most controversial issues in Ukraine’s accession negotiations. Some member states fear that integrating Ukraine’s vast agricultural sector into the EU’s common agricultural policy could put pressure on European farmers, subsidies and market competition.

For now, the agreement between kyiv and Budapest represents a significant diplomatic achievement and ends a long-standing feud between the two neighbors.