EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos on Wednesday insisted Hungary will not block Ukraine’s path to joining the bloc, calling eventual membership "inevitable."

Kos toured a thermal power plant seriously damaged by recent Russian strikes, one of several energy facilities hit in weeks of drone and missile attacks that have crippled Ukraine’s power grid.

Machinery lay charred, control panels melted and a gaping hole opened in the roof.

She accused Moscow of deliberately targeting plants that supply electricity and heat to millions.

Ukraine applied for EU membership in 2022, shortly after Russia’s full‑scale invasion, and hopes to join by the end of the decade as NATO prospects remain uncertain.

Kos will convene an informal EU affairs ministers meeting next Wednesday to prepare the next phase of accession talks, suggesting Kyiv could accelerate reforms and its accession timeline.

She dismissed objections to Ukraine’s membership by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, telling reporters: Ukraine “does not need Orbán” to carry out the reforms required for membership.

AP video by Andriy Popovych