In July, the EU extended protection for Ukrainians introduced after Russia’s 2022 invasion, granting them the right to live, work, and receive benefits in the 27-country bloc.
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However, considering Kyiv’s request, with Russia’s large-scale war continuing into its fifth year, this scheme no longer applies to newly arriving draft-age Ukrainian men who may be subject to mobilization.
A decree published late Friday evening in Hungary’s official journal notes that this Central European country of 9.5 million voted against the adopted EU policy and continues to oppose it.
“Therefore, Hungary continues to maintain the circle of persons to whom the current Hungarian rules apply,” reads the document signed by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, which came into effect on Saturday.
Earlier this week, P. Magyar stated that Budapest reserves the right to continue granting protection to Ukrainians regardless of EU requirements, especially considering the large ethnic Hungarian community in Ukraine’s Transcarpathian region in Western Ukraine.
The EU-supporting conservative prime minister added that he personally disagrees with this policy and shared his opinion on Wednesday with European Council President António Costa during his visit to Hungary.
“I find it shameful and incomprehensible that the European Union decided, frankly, to shut out parents and grandparents in a warring country and provide them with no assistance,” P. Magyar said at a Thursday press conference.
The new EU provisions do not affect draft-age Ukrainian men who are already benefiting from temporary protection in Community member states, but apply only to newly arriving men aged 23–60 who are prohibited from freely leaving the country due to the martial law in Ukraine.
Since taking office in May, P. Magyar has sought to repair relations with Kyiv, which were strained under his predecessor, Kremlin-friendly nationalist Viktor Orbán.
In June, Hungary stopped blocking the start of EU membership talks with Ukraine after the countries reached an agreement on the rights of the Hungarian national minority – a long-standing issue overshadowing relations between the neighbors.
However, Budapest later accused Kyiv of failing to implement this agreement and blocked further negotiations.
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