Austria offers Vienna as venue for Ukraine peace talks

On September 1, Hungary once again blocked Ukraine's EU accession talks during a meeting of the European Union Council's Working Party on Enlargement. The delegation from Budapest declined to approve the screening results for Ukraine's negotiating clusters 2 and 3, Ukrainska Pravda reported. This decision mirrors Hungary's stance from July, before the summer recess.

The only difference was that in July, Hungary only agreed to approve the screening results for Moldova's cluster 3, effectively segregating Ukraine and Moldova on their paths to EU membership. However, this approach lacks support from most EU countries, particularly Ireland, which currently holds the bloc's rotating presidency. According to a source cited by Ukrainska Pravda, the Hungarian delegation's refusal to open Ukraine's second and third negotiating clusters has left the EU Council's enlargement working group without a decision, thereby halting the openings for both Ukraine and Moldova.

The next COELA meeting is scheduled for September 2, but Ukraine and Moldova are not on the agenda. The first negotiating cluster with Ukraine and Moldova, "Fundamentals," officially commenced in Luxembourg on June 15. The EU Council's enlargement working group launched the sixth cluster of Ukraine's accession negotiations, covering external relations, on July 14.