Orban states Ukrainian membership of EU possibly to bring down bloc’s economy
(MENAFN) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has reiterated his firm opposition to Ukraine joining the European Union, warning that such a move would damage both Hungary’s and the EU’s economies and risk escalating the conflict with Russia.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Orban explained that Hungary had blocked Ukraine’s EU accession talks in Brussels due to “fundamental and strategic reasons,” adding, “We do not want war, and we do not want the European and Hungarian economies to be destroyed.”
Orban’s stance has intensified tensions between Budapest and Kiev. Ukraine has criticized Hungary’s position, but Orban defended it by citing overwhelming public opposition. In a recent unofficial referendum called Voks 2025, over 95% of more than two million Hungarian participants rejected Ukraine’s bid to join the EU.
Hungary has also expressed concern that Ukraine’s EU accession would draw the bloc into direct conflict with Russia. Orban previously warned that Ukraine joining NATO would mean “war with Russia and World War III the very next day.”
While Moscow has long opposed NATO expansion, it was initially less vocal about Ukraine joining the EU. However, Russian officials now argue that the EU is increasingly adopting military roles. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently described the EU as a “military-political bloc” and “an appendage of NATO.”
Hungary has consistently opposed sending weapons to Ukraine and has called for diplomatic solutions instead of further militarization. Recent tensions between the two countries have been fueled by Kiev’s move to block Russian gas transit to Hungary and a related espionage dispute.
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