Hungary's blockade may delay Ukraine's EU accession by years — expert

He said this in an interview with the host of the European Space program, Yuriy Fizer.

"If the key factor is Ukraine's fulfillment of the relevant criteria, and the process of negotiations on EU membership unfolds according to the algorithm we know, then five years may be enough.

But we must not forget that there is a significant political factor: all EU member states must simultaneously support our movement towards membership. And if even one government is against it—and today that government is Hungary's—this can delay the process.

This could become an obstacle, as has happened with other candidate countries. For example, North Macedonia, which was blocked for a long time by Greece for political reasons, and is now essentially blocked by Bulgaria—also for political reasons that are not related to the fulfillment of membership criteria," Sushko noted.

The Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation added that if Ukraine finds itself in a situation of "prolonged blocking" by Hungary, this could lead to at least several years of delay.

"2030 is a very optimistic timeframe, although possible. Of course, we need to focus on quality and rapid work. However, if we set ourselves deadlines and then they are not met, this can lead to disappointment," Sushko emphasized.

• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stated that, at present, Ukraine's EU membership is the greatest threat to his country.