Tensions between Budapest and Kyiv have increased, with hopes fading that Hungary could lift its veto on Ukraine’s accession talks; Lithuania, in turn, is calling for a way to bypass the veto.
In a letter sent to European capitals ahead of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers scheduled for the 1st and 2nd of September in Copenhagen, Vilnius said the bloc must act decisively to make Ukraine’s membership offer tangible and irreversible.
The letter, also available to Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT, said opening talks would boost Ukrainian morale and promote reforms in the country at a time when Russia is stepping up attacks. Failure to act could both erode public support and undermine institutions’ willingness to reform.
The start of the talks is being held up by Viktor Orbán, a critic of Ukraine and Hungarian Prime Minister. In the first half of 2025, Poland held the EU presidency, and its Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has admitted that it was precisely
because of Hungary’s veto that the talks have not progressed at all.
It has come so far that Orbán recently received a call from US President Donald Trump on the issue. However, Budapest is unlikely to change its position, especially after the diplomatic row over the oil pipeline that was attacked by the Ukrainians. It carries oil from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia. Both countries have asked the European Commission to protect the pipeline from further attacks, saying it is indispensable. Meanwhile, Kiev has pointed out that the whole problem is Hungary’s position, and other European countries are no longer dependent on Russian energy resources.
Lithuania has called for talks with Moldova and Ukraine to begin without Budapest’s approval, if the 26 member states agree.
Acting Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys told LRT that any longer delay would be geopolitically damaging for both Ukraine and the EU, and that Ukraine’s membership in the bloc is part of Europe’s security guarantees.
The situation in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine are expected to be the main topics of discussion in Copenhagen in early September.
Read the full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2656191/lithuania-pushes-eu-to-bypass-hungary-on-ukraine-membership-talks
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