Instead of the unanimity required for Ukraine's accession to the EU, 11 Member States oppose the war-torn country's accelerated accession.Continue reading
On Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an exclusive interview to anti-government portal Válasz Online, centering around the Ukrainian President’s views regarding Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, particularly about Hungary’s stance on Ukraine’s EU accession.
In the interview, the Ukrainian President claimed that the Hungarian Prime Minister’s policy is “anti-Ukrainian” and “anti-European,” views directed towards domestic politics, because he wants to exploit Ukraine’s war for political gain.
Regarding Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, Zelenskyy referred on another occasion to the non-representative poll conducted by the main opposition party Tisza, solely among its followers:
Orbán’s opposition conducted a public opinion poll. Seventy percent of Hungarians support Ukraine’s accession to the EU. This means that the Hungarian people are on our side,”
Zelenskyy told reporters, according to Interfax. He emphasized that Ukraine would take the necessary steps towards European integration and even spoke about the country being technically ready for accession by July 1st.
A poll conducted by Nézőpont Institute shows that opposition to Ukraine’s accession rose by 5% between April and May of 2025. Photo: Nézőpont Institute
Neither the figures nor the facts in the Ukrainian President’s statement were accurate, since the results of the poll conducted by Tisza show that only 58.2% support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, which is far behind the 70% referenced by Zelenskyy. Moreover, according to a public opinion poll by the Nézőpont Institute, 67 percent of Hungarian voters oppose Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
“We believe that everyone will support us, except for the country concerned,” the Ukrainian President stated.
Later, on Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán responded to the Ukrainian leader’s words, stating:
President Zelenskyy has taken a stand against us because Hungarians do not want to die for Ukraine. We do not want our children to come back from the front in coffins, and we do not want Hungarian money to go to Ukraine!”
he said.
Parliamentary State Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, Balázs Hidvéghi, wrote on his social media in reference to the interview:
In today’s interview, Zelenskyy once again openly threatened Hungary that a new Ukrainian smear campaign will be launched if the Hungarian people dare to vote no to Ukraine’s EU membership in the 2025 referendum,”
he emphasized, adding: “By saying that Hungary’s position does not coincide with that of Viktor Orbán, Zelenskyy has clearly admitted that the result of the Tisza Party’s vote is decisive for him. However, the real vote is still ongoing! That is why it is important for everyone to express their opinion in the Voks 2025 opinion poll.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Péter Szijjártó stated at a press conference:
“The Ukrainian President is interested in having a puppet government in Hungary that will send Hungarian money to Ukraine, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent interview, which is part of a harsh anti-Hungarian propaganda campaign.”
Via ATV, Mandiner; Featured photo: MTI/Purger Tamás
