Hungary has lifted its veto preventing Ukraine from joining the European Union in a move that could be a huge blow to Russia. The breakthrough ends a two-year deadlock in Brussels and clears the way for Ukraine and Moldova to open the first cluster of negotiations in the EU accession process.

The decision is likely to be viewed as a setback for Russia, which has opposed Ukraine's growing ties with the West. It brings Kyiv a step closer to EU membership and ends a two-year delay to the accession process. The sought-after breakthrough came during a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, when Hungary dropped its objections and allowed member states to reach the unanimity needed to move the process forward. Ukraine and Moldova, whose membership bids have been closely linked, have spent the past two years attempting to unlock the first cluster of negotiations, known as "fundamentals", which covers areas including the rule of law, human rights and the judiciary. Progress had been blocked by Hungary, which raised concerns over the rights of the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine's Transcarpathia region.

However, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said Budapest and Kyiv had reached a "comprehensive agreement" on expanding the linguistic, educational, cultural and political rights of the roughly 100,000 ethnic Hungarians living there.

The commitments will be reflected in an action plan submitted by Ukraine as part of its bid to join the EU, Magyar said.

The development comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly called for the opening of the first cluster of accession talks.

A formal intergovernmental conference marking the next stage of the process is expected to take place in Luxembourg later this month.

The veto had been in place since 2024 and repeatedly frustrated attempts by Brussels to advance Ukraine's membership application.

The breakthrough follows the election of Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who has pledged to improve relations with Kyiv after years of tensions.

Ukraine and Moldova are currently linked in the accession process, meaning both countries are expected to benefit from the decision.

EU accession negotiations are divided into 33 chapters spread across six thematic clusters, with the "fundamentals" cluster opened first and closed last.

Mr Magyar said Hungary and Ukraine had reached a comprehensive agreement on the rights of the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine's Transcarpathia region.

He said the commitments would be incorporated into Ukraine's action plan submitted to Brussels as part of its membership bid.

Despite lifting the veto, Mr Magyar stressed he remained opposed to any fast-tracked route into the European Union.

He added that if Ukraine completed all 33 accession chapters within the next 10 to 15 years, Hungary would hold a legally binding referendum on its membership.