The conflict between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Volodymyr Zelensky could hinder Ukraine's plans to join the European Union, the Berliner Zeitung newspaper reported.
According to the publication, EU government circles believe that Ukraine's accelerated accession to the union would provoke conflict with Russia and cause serious damage to the European economy. The Hungarian Prime Minister's tough stance on Ukraine's integration into the EU is partly based on such views. Orban said that "member states set the conditions, not candidate countries."
Zelensky had earlier said that Ukraine should do "everything possible to be technically ready to join the EU by 2027." He added that this should be included in the agreement on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, which he would like to sign with the leaders of the United States, Russia and Europe. Otherwise, Zelensky claimed, "Russia will do everything to block this process."
The Hungarian government has repeatedly stated that it will not allow Ukraine's hasty accession to the European Union, as this would create a threat of direct military confrontation with Russia and cause significant damage to the European economy. Budapest has also warned that Brussels and Kiev intend to resort to various tricks that would be a blatant violation of EU law.