The Prime Minister of Hungary, Peter Madyar, stated that Budapest will continue to provide protection to Ukrainian men of draft age who cross the border into Hungary, despite the European Union's recent decision to restrict temporary protection. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement by the head of the Hungarian government on Facebook.
Budapest's Decision
According to Madyar, several weeks ago the EU adopted a decision on temporary protection for Ukrainian men of draft age, as a result of which they will now be denied protection in case of issues with their military registration documents. "At the same time, yesterday the government decided that Hungary will act differently and will act in such a way as to grant asylum status also to men subject to conscription who flee to Hungarian territory," the publication quotes the prime minister.
Emphasis on Ethnic Hungarians
The politician emphasized that the decision made primarily concerns ethnic Hungarians from Zakarpattia. "Obviously, first and foremost, taking into account our Zakarpatian Hungarian compatriots, the number of such refugees is growing," he noted, pointing to the increasing flow of such refugees.
Criticism of the EU's Position
Madyar called the European Union's decision "unworthy and incomprehensible," stating that Brussels is "essentially locking up fathers and grandfathers in a country that is at war and not providing them with help, although until now the rules were different." Thus, the Hungarian prime minister publicly distanced himself from the bloc's common line.
Context: Ukraine's EU Accession
Earlier, according to RBC-Ukraine, Madyar expressed the opinion that Ukraine is not yet ready to join the EU, and that the membership process should take place exclusively on general terms without accelerated procedures. In July, the first significant breakthrough in Ukraine's EU accession was achieved after a long blockage by Budapest: the Hungarian authorities agreed to begin the procedure of opening one of the negotiating chapters. Meanwhile, the opening of the second and third negotiating clusters, concerning integration into the single market as well as economic and social policy, was postponed.
Contradictory Data
In this matter, the positions of the two sides diverge. On the one hand, the European Union, at the bloc level, adopted a decision to restrict temporary protection for Ukrainian men of draft age, introducing refusal in case of issues with military registration documents. On the other hand, the Hungarian government officially stated its intention to act differently and to grant asylum status to such men crossing the border. In fact, a divergence is forming within the single EU space between the European-wide line and the national policy of Budapest; meanwhile, the actual implementation of Hungary's decision in practice has not yet been confirmed in the sources.
