EU summit poised to back Ukraine’s EU path, but Hungary expected to opt out

A senior EU official involved in the summit preparations told European Pravda this on condition of anonymity.

The European Council will approve a strong statement on Ukraine’s EU membership prospects, but Hungary will not sign it, the official said.

"The President of the European Council (Antonio Costa – ed.) hopes that the Council conclusions on Ukraine’s EU path will include strong support, especially regarding its readiness to open negotiation clusters. Ideally, the document would be signed by all 27 member states, but it’s likely we’ll see 26 signatures," the EU official said.

He clarified that Hungary is expected to opt out.

The source reminded that, under current EU enlargement rules, any step forward on accession requires unanimous support from all member states.

Still, even without Hungary’s backing, Ukraine can keep negotiating informally.

“If 26 states deliver a strong message, that can serve as a mandate to at least keep working at the informal level,” he explained.

“Of course, the President of the European Council would prefer a deal among all 27 states so Ukraine can formally advance and open negotiation clusters, it’s already ready to do so. But this is the situation we’re facing,” the senior official added.