Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice, Olha Stefanishyna, has said that negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union can begin without the support of Hungary, as only 26 member states are needed to open the negotiation clusters, not all 27 members of the EU.

“We now understand clearly that opening negotiations does not require unanimous agreement from all 27 member states. That used to be the practice in past years, but none of the EU's foundational documents currently mandate unanimous consent for this decision,” Stefanishyna said in an interview with Fakty ICTV, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine on July 8.

She confirmed that twenty-six member states are sufficient to begin the process, even in the absence of a Hungarian vote. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been vigorously campaigning to prevent Ukraine joining the EU, arguing that the Union cannot afford to take in such a big country. Moreover, Orban suggested Ukraine’s membership would provoke Russia into a military attack on Europe.

Hungary has withheld its approval and exercising its de facto veto on starting the accession process negotiations.

“Hungary’s obstructionism has prompted a deeper reassessment of the EU enlargement process. Enlargement is a geopolitical decision and a priority for the European Commission, whose mandate was given by all 27 member states,” Stefanishyna said. “Hungary’s ‘political dumping,’ which undermines the EU’s ambitions, has triggered a thorough analysis and search for solutions.”

Stefanishyna added that unanimity is only required at the later stages of the process, particularly to close negotiations or specific chapters. “This is why – both because of Ukraine and for broader reasons – there is now a question of stripping Hungary of its voting rights,” she said.

EU foreign policy chief and former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas earlier suggested the same workaround and said the Commission has a Plan B to start the negotiations. Kallas suggested that the negotiations themselves can begin without a unanimous vote of approval, however, the result will not be legally binding. Kallas suggested all the work to the negotiations could be completed but the final approval could be pushed down the road to a later date. Ukraine is not expected to complete the accession process for at least a decade, so in theory a unanimous vote by member states can be pushed back to the end of the process. 

Kallas has also suggested that the Commission may attempt to activate Article 7 of the EU treaty to strip Hungary of its voting rights. Alternatively, the Commission can simply wait until Orban leaves office and hope a more cooperative Prime Minister replaces him. Article 7 applies to countries that are failing to live up to their obligations to the principles of EU membership laid out in Article 2 of the treaty that mentions the values on which the EU is built.

Hungarians go to the polls to choose a new government in April 2026 and Orban and his party are currently trailing in the polls. However, as Hungary has no term limits on the prime minister, Orban can stay in office as long as his Fidesz party keeps winning elections. He is currently serving his sixth term in office.

On May 14, Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers approved roadmaps to open the first negotiation cluster, “Fundamentals of Membership.” It has since approved positions for Cluster 2 “Internal Market” and Cluster 6 “External Relations,” and completed EU screening for Cluster 3 “Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth.”