Hungary keeps protection for draft-age Ukrainian men

Hungary will continue granting protection to newly arriving Ukrainian men fleeing conscription, despite a European Union policy change that excludes some draft-age men from temporary protection.

A government decree that entered into force on Sept. 5, 2026, said Hungary would keep the current scope of people covered under its national rules. The decree said Hungary voted against the EU policy and continues to oppose it.

The EU extended emergency protections for Ukrainians in July, continuing rights to live, work and claim benefits in the bloc. But the revised scheme no longer covers newly arriving Ukrainian men of military age who are subject to mobilisation, a change requested by Kyiv as the war with Russia continues.

The new EU provisions do not affect military-age Ukrainian men who already have temporary protection in member states. They apply to new arrivals of males aged 23 to 60 who are prohibited from leaving Ukraine under martial law.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said earlier in the week that Budapest would reserve the right to keep granting protection, citing in part the ethnic Hungarian community in Ukraine's western Transcarpathia region. He also said he had raised his opposition with European Council President Antonio Costa.