Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Montenegro's European Union entry would yield significant economic and security benefits for the bloc, as opposed to Ukraine.

Speaking at a press conference held jointly with Nik Gjeloshaj, his Montenegrin counterpart, the foreign minister said that enlargement of the EU in the Western Balkans would significantly contribute to the EU's efforts to meet security and economic challenges.

Minister Szijjártó accused the EU of employing "shocking double standards". "They want to push Ukraine into the EU in a super-fast procedure ... while they put serious hurdles in the way of the Western Balkans' accession," he said, according to a ministry statement.

"Nobody in their right senses would think Ukraine a better state than any of the Western Balkans countries," the minister said, pledging the Hungarian government's continued support for their earliest possible accession.

"A large part of Western Europe is just pulling the wool over Western Balkans' eyes when they speak about enlargement," he said. During Hungary's EU presidency last year, however, three chapters in that country's accession talks were closed, he noted, urging the completion of at least another six chapters in 2025.

Minister Szijjártó said bilateral economic cooperation was "a success story", noting Hungarian exports to Montenegro of a record of 100 million-plus euros last year, increasing by some 20 percent since the beginning of 2025.

The minister said the talks also focused on preparations for agreements in the areas of mutual investment protection, Hungarian digitalisation and data management technologies to be applied in Montenegro, as well as Hungarian participation in Montenegro's road and rail development projects.