Hungary did not accept Ukraine’s invitation to join the new regional cooperation format “C8”

Hungary announced on Tuesday, September 22, that it did not wish, at this stage, to be part of the “C8” Carpathian Integration Initiative, the new regional cooperation format launched by Ukraine to strengthen economic ties with neighboring states.

The Hungarian Foreign Ministry said in a statement sent to AFP and cited by Agerpres that Hungary “is not a member of the initiative,” but is closely monitoring how it will be implemented and its development. Budapest did not sign the declaration adopted at the format’s first forum, which was attended by a chargé d’affaires of the Hungarian embassy.

The summit, inaugurated last Friday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, brought together representatives of Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria. Hungary had initially been included among the eight states targeted by the initiative.

Budapest’s decision comes amid its fluctuating relations with Kyiv. Although it is a member of the European Union and NATO, Hungary has maintained its ties with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. Subsequently, the new pro-European majority led by conservative Peter Magyar initiated a rapprochement with Kyiv. In June, Hungary stopped blocking the opening of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, but resumed its objections, accusing Kyiv of failing to respect agreements concerning the rights of the Hungarian minority.