"The time for Ukraine's EU membership has not yet come," the Prime Minister stated.Continue reading
“Hungary will not yield to any pressure and maintains a steadfast position on expansion, defending it regardless of the offer,” stated Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Brussels on Thursday.
In response to a query about Ukraine’s EU accession, the Hungarian Prime Minister emphasized that specific conditions must be met, and although
four out of seven have been fulfilled, three remain unmet according to the European Commission’s assessment.
Consequently, he deemed it not appropriate to discuss Ukraine’s membership at present.
Regarding the proposed EUR 50 billion EU aid for Ukraine over four years, the veto from Hungary dealt a blow to Kyiv and its backers only hours after they had celebrated the bloc taking the symbolic step of agreeing to open membership talks. Viktor Orbán clarified that short-term support from the budget has been approved, but additional long-term aid should be included outside the EU budget, with Hungary willing to offer support.
Summary of the nightshift:
veto for the extra money to Ukraine,
veto for the MFF review.
We will come back to the issue next year in the #EUCO after proper preparation.— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) December 15, 2023
Balázs Orbán, Prime Minister Orbán’s political director, asserted that
Hungary deems Ukraine unprepared for EU accession,
suggesting that negotiations should not commence. Despite leaving the meeting and abstaining from voting, Hungary did not impede the decision, but it refuses responsibility for what it views as an erroneous choice.
In the last few hours in Brussels, the European Council has deliberated on Ukraine’s accession. Hungary’s stance remains firm and unaltered: we do not consider Ukraine ready for EU negotiations.Consequently we oppose commencing negotiations.
However, 26 EU Member States hold a… pic.twitter.com/PVxYKWJObe
— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) December 14, 2023
Initiating negotiations requires a unanimous decision, which was not achieved in this instance. The European Council’s decision sets a principle, and Member States will need to unanimously agree on the negotiating package more than 70 times in the coming years, ensuring unanimity for supporting Ukraine’s EU accession, he added.
Via MTI; Featured Image: Pixabay