Hungary has the right not to want to be in an alliance with Ukraine and to say that the European Union will not expand to Ukraine, despite the fact that almost all other EU countries claim that they want to accept Kiev, said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
„Around 24 countries want or at least say that they want Ukraine to be in the EU. Ultimately, the question is whether the Hungarians have the right not to want to be in the EU with the Ukrainians. I think we have this right because we are members, and they are not... We do not want to be in an alliance with the Ukrainians. Neither militarily in NATO, nor economically in the EU. And we have the right not to want to be in an alliance with them and to say that the EU will not expand to Ukraine,” Orbán said in an interview with the Hetek portal.
Ahead of the EU summit in June, Orbán said that a legally binding decision on Ukraine’s European integration could not be made there, as Hungary does not support Kiev’s accession to the EU and the issue must be resolved unanimously. He also announced the results of a Hungarian opinion poll on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, according to which 95% of participants, more than 2 million people, are against Kiev’s European integration.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has previously said that he does not believe that Ukraine can meet the criteria for EU accession. Orbán has previously said that Brussels wants Ukraine to join the EU by 2030, but that the final decision lies with Hungary. He claims that Ukraine's accession would destroy the Hungarian economy. Orbán also said that the EU does not want to help Ukraine, but to colonize it, and that forcing Kiev to continue the conflict is one of the methods of colonization. He stressed that Hungary is for the European Union, but against the accelerated European integration of Ukraine, and that Kiev will never join the community without Budapest's consent.