On April 29, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European and Atlantic integration - look Stefanishyna announced that Ukraine and Hungary have agreed to start regular consultations on the process of joining the European Union (EU), European Pravda reported.
Stefanishyna is in the capital Budapest and has held meetings with Hungarian officials.
Speaking on Ukrainian television, Ms. Stefanishyna said: "We have agreed that from May 12, the Ukrainian and Hungarian groups will work regularly until we have a full list of tasks within the framework of 11 recommendations that the Hungarian side is interested in."
However, after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Stefanishyna, Hungarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economy Levente Magyar stated that the two countries had not yet made progress on the rights of Hungarian ethnic minorities living in Transcarpathia (Ukraine).
This is considered one of the key factors affecting Ukraine's integration into European institutions. According to Mr. Magyar, Ukraine has not yet restored the right to use Hungarian's mother tongue locally, especially in the fields of education and government.
He also affirmed that even if this issue is resolved, Hungary will still object to the EU speeding up the process of admitting Ukraine.
The Hungarian government has long expressed concern that the hasty admission of Ukraine could have serious consequences for Europe. According to Budapest, this step risks dragging the EU into a direct conflict with Russia, weakening the economy, especially in the agricultural sector, and negatively affecting regional security.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also repeatedly stressed that Ukraine cannot get any closer to the EU if it continues to hinder the transportation of gas from Russia to Europe.
This view shows the profound differences between the two countries in the roadmap and conditions for European integration in the context of current geopolitical tensions.
