EU leaders attended Budapest’s Oct. 23 commemoration as Hungary was reported to have blocked a Ukraine accession step, while Russia said it was ready to resume trilateral talks around Nov. 10.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attended and delivered remarks, the Associated Press reported. European Council President António Costa addressed Hungary’s National Assembly. The event marked 70 years since the 1956 uprising against Soviet rule. Costa linked the Soviet suppression of the uprising to a warning that democratic states should stay alert to authoritarian and imperial ambitions.
The Oct. 23 Budapest commemoration took place as the accession process faced a reported setback. The Council of the EU said Ukraine and the bloc opened the second and third negotiating clusters on Oct. 13, covering 17 chapters, and set benchmarks for their provisional closure. Ukraine’s accession negotiations began in 2024 and are divided into six clusters; four had opened by Oct. 13.
Kyiv Independent reported, citing three national and EU diplomats, that Hungary blocked an Oct. 20 procedural move aimed at opening the final two negotiating clusters for Ukraine and Moldova. The outlet said Hungary’s representation did not comment before publication. The reported move was a separate step from the Oct. 13 opening of clusters two and three.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed accession progress, efforts to end Russia’s war and bilateral cooperation on Oct. 16, the Ukrainian presidency said. Zelenskyy said their teams would set dates to resume joint work and exchange visits.
Zelenskyy said on Oct. 20, after meeting U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and European partners in Oslo, that Ukraine wanted a possible meeting of leaders from Ukraine, Russia and the United States. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said the next day that Moscow was ready in principle to resume trilateral negotiations around Nov. 10. Ushakov did not set a meeting date.
EU leaders’ Oct. 15–16 conclusions urged Russia to accept a ceasefire and negotiate, while saying Europe should have a role in a future settlement and could contribute to security guarantees. Ushakov’s suggested window around Nov. 10 is the next stated marker; his remarks did not schedule talks.
