EU Accession — 2026-06-22

All 27 EU States Back Ukraine Text for First Time Since 2024 as Hungary Drops Veto at European Council

BLUFRestored 27-state consensus strengthens Brussels' collective bargaining position, but Costa's preliminary contacts with Moscow are unlikely to yield a substantive diplomatic meeting before late September.

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar dropped the veto blocking EU consensus on Ukraine at the June 18 European Council summit, enabling all 27 member states to endorse conclusions for the first time since 2024 1. Magyar stated on X that he secured removal of language calling for accelerated Ukraine accession as his condition, writing that "it wasn't easy" 1. The adopted conclusions reaffirm full political, economic, military and humanitarian support for Kyiv, welcome the opening of Ukraine's fundamentals cluster in the accession process, and shift Russia sanctions from semi-annual to annual renewal 12. European Council President Costa confirmed his office has opened a preliminary diplomatic channel with Moscow via his chief of cabinet, who held calls with a top Putin aide; the initiative drew sharp criticism from Macron and Merz and opposition from Poland, Baltic states, and Nordic countries, dominating the summit despite Costa's characterization of the contacts as brief, limited, and non-negotiatory 2.

Analysis
EU-Russia contacts are unlikely to escalate to a substantive agenda-based meeting by September 30. Analytic confidence is low: Moscow's diplomatic posture through late summer remains opaque to open-source collection, and Costa's public characterization, carried only by secondary amplification without independent original reporting, may not fully reflect the scope of exchanges underway. Removal of accelerated-accession language as Magyar's negotiated price confirms Hungary retains structural leverage over Ukraine's EU pathway even as the formal veto threat recedes. Budapest may have accepted a face-saving exit from a veto position growing diplomatically costly under new domestic pressure rather than extracted a genuine policy concession. The restored unanimity functions primarily as a political signal for any future peace-framework negotiation. Should substantive talks materialize, EU foreign ministers face urgent pressure to coordinate mandates and red lines before Moscow engages with any specificity.

3 sources

All 27 EU states back Ukraine text for the first time since 2024 - EU Perspectives
EU leaders press ahead with Ukraine's accession and step up pressure on Russia - EU News
European Council conclusions on Ukraine and on European defence and security - Council of the EU