Péter Szijjártó emphasized that Ukraine cannot become a member of the EU before the Western Balkan countries.Continue reading
Hungary’s support for Ukraine’s EU membership is conditional on a referendum in Hungary, and Ukraine should take note of this, János Bóka, Minister for EU Affairs, told M1 news channel on Tuesday morning.
He recalled that the EU seemed to be “two or three episodes behind” on Ukraine. Brussels’s position is still the same as it was at the beginning of the war: to support Ukraine at all costs, even though much has changed since then. A direct relationship has been established between the United States and Russia, and a new geopolitical system is emerging, of which Russia is a part, in which mutually beneficial relations are sought. “The EU should be moving in the same direction (…), but it is not,” Mr. Bóka pointed out.
He added that
there is no meaningful debate in the EU about what the purpose of support for Ukraine is, why and for how long it should last.
The interests of the federalists, who want to deepen integration and raise defense policy to EU level, are dominant, whereas what is needed is a meaningful debate on what supporting Ukraine means for EU Member States. In Hungary, this is the purpose of the referendum, the result of which will guide the Hungarian government, the minister emphasized.
❌Hungary cannot support the #EUCO conclusions on #Ukraine in the current form: contradicts the Hungarian position and the Hungarian national interests on several strategic points, and calls to further accelerate the Ukrainian accession process.
The @EUCouncil will also… pic.twitter.com/GXZi4fgrkz
— Bóka János (@JanosBoka_HU) March 18, 2025
János Bóka said that European leaders will meet again in Paris on Thursday, and the topic is expected to be the new security system and the security guarantees to be provided to Ukraine. This is not an EU meeting, as there is no consensus on these issues in the EU, he recounted. He underlined that
Hungary supports the strengthening of defense capabilities, but at member state level, so that individual countries must have adequate defense capabilities. If the EU provides more flexible budgetary rules for this, that is good.
However, Hungary does not support the creation of new EU competences and EU borrowing, the minister stressed.
Speaking on Kossuth Radio’s program “Good morning, Hungary!” after his meeting with the new EU commissioner for the rule of law, Bóka recalled that dialogue is always good, as long as the parties get to know each other’s positions. The meeting was open and frank, but they disagreed on the fundamental issues.
The minister said that since the relationship between the Hungarian government and the European Commission was complex, he suggested that it should be simplified. He gave three points: firstly, the Commission should only deal with issues that really fall within its remit. Secondly, it should apply equal standards to these issues. Thirdly, it should make transparent its support for NGOs and media platforms. And “do not even dream of taking over” the aid provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Boka emphasized.
Via MTI, Featured photo via Pixabay