Verkhovna Rada
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Hungary's Magyar ties Ukraine's EU accession progress to minority rights implementation
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on 3 September that Budapest will support Ukraine's EU accession only if the standard procedure is followed and agreed-upon requirements are met, linking Hungary's position to the implementation of a bilateral agreement on Hungarian minority rights in Ukraine. Magyar also criticized the idea of accelerated accession, arguing that a country at war is "not ready" for EU membership. Ukrainian sources counter that Ukraine has fulfilled the conditions to open the second and third negotiating clusters, and that the minority rights issues Hungary cites belong to the already-opened first cluster.
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Ukraine's cabinet submits four EU/IMF-linked reform bills to unlock €1.45 billion tranche
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved and sent to the Verkhovna Rada four draft laws tied to the country's obligations to the EU and IMF. The bills are a condition for receiving the third tranche of EU macro-financial assistance worth €1.45 billion and cover VAT administration, transfer pricing, capital markets, and the High Anti-Corruption Court. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi announced the submission and said joint work by government and parliament is needed to secure a significant portion of $29.5 billion in expected partner assistance.
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Ukraine's PM announces budget savings regime, 70 billion hryvnias redirected to defense
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky told the Verkhovna Rada on September 1 that the government has introduced a strict budget-savings regime for non-defense spending and will redirect 70 billion hryvnias to the Defense Forces. He said the defense budget faces a $27 billion deficit, which Ukraine is asking partners to cover through emergency financing, and announced a one-month audit of the Ministry of Defense.