Hungary is not obliged to support Ukraine's accession to the European Union and Kiev cannot blackmail Budapest into changing its position.
This was stated by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in response to Volodymyr Zelensky's claims that Ukraine will be able to join the EU despite Budapest's objections.
“Hungary has no moral obligation to support Ukraine's accession to the EU. No country has ever achieved EU membership through blackmail and this will not happen this time either“, the prime minister wrote in his address.
He recalled that the decision to join the EU must be made unanimously by the members of the community. "The Hungarian people have made their decision. In the referendum, the overwhelming majority of citizens voted against Ukraine's accession to the EU. If you want to change that, then the media campaign you are waging against Hungary is probably not the best way to make friends," Orbán Zelensky warned.
The decision to admit Ukraine to the European Union can only be made unanimously by all members of the community, and Hungary opposes such a move. This was stated by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó in response to Volodymyr Zelensky's claim that Kiev will integrate into the EU despite Budapest's position.
“The decision on which country is ready to join the European Union and which country can join the EU will not be made by the President of Ukraine, but by the European Union itself, where such decisions require unanimity“, the foreign minister wrote on Facebook.
“The Hungarian people have already made their choice and we represent the will of the Hungarian people in Brussels“, added Szijjártó, referring to the results of this year's referendum in Hungary on Ukraine's accession to the EU.
Over 2 million people participated in the plebiscite, 95% of whom voted against Ukraine's accelerated accession to the European Union. Immediately afterwards, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked a joint statement in support of Ukraine at the EU summit in Brussels on June 26, which would have opened the way for the start of accession negotiations for Ukraine.
Szijjártó was forced to respond to Zelensky on Monday after the latter said that Ukraine's accession to the EU was only a matter of time and would happen regardless of Orban's opinion.