Zelensky downplays rift as Hungary renews EU accession blockade over minority rights
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President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sept. 18 said he does not see significant obstacles between Kyiv and Budapest on minority issues, even as Hungary renewed its blockade of Ukraine's EU accession over the matter.
Ukraine's progress toward membership has once again stalled after Hungary started blocking progress on additional accession clusters — to-do lists of reforms a candidate must undertake before joining the bloc.
Budapest first wants Kyiv to implement additional guarantees for the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, in accordance with an agreement concluded in the summer.
The Hungarian side now waits for the Ukrainian parliament to adopt a relevant law before moving forward, Zelensky said during a press conference at the first Carpathian 8 Summit in Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast when responding to a question by the Kyiv Independent.
"I don't see a real big problem with this between us," Zelensky added, voicing hope that the Hungarian government will unblock the remaining clusters once it sees "political will from our side."
Kyiv hopes to open at least two additional clusters before October, and the remaining two by the end of the year, Zelensky added.
Hungary's pro-European Prime Minister Peter Magyar has adopted a more flexible stance toward Kyiv's EU accession efforts than his predecessor, Kremlin-friendly ex-Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The new Hungarian government initially lifted its veto on Kyiv's EU bid after concluding an agreement on Hungarian minority rights, allowing Ukraine to open its first two accession clusters — focusing on the so-called fundamentals and external relations — over the summer.
Hungary's prime minister has nevertheless rejected any shortcuts for Kyiv's accession, stressing that Ukraine must implement all the necessary reforms to enter the bloc.
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Vsevolod Chentsov said in early September that Kyiv has made progress on minority rights reforms and that the government is preparing a relevant bill.
The timeline for the legislation's introduction and vote remains unclear, and the parliament has increasingly struggled to pass key reform legislation tied to Ukraine's EU accession and foreign aid.
