PM Orbán: EU membership of Ukraine "is a bad decision which Hungary wants no part in"

 

In a video recorded during the break of the EU summit in Brussels, PM Orbán said Hungary’s stance was that Ukraine was not ready to start accession talks with the EU. “The decision to start talks with Ukraine in these circumstances is senseless, irrational and wrong, and Hungary will not change its stance,” he said. At the same time, “the other 26 states insisted on making that decision. Hungary decided that … they should go their own way,” he said. Hungary stayed away from the decision-making, he said, adding that talks would resume with amendments of the budget. Earlier, PM Orbán said Hungary would not yield to pressure and had a very firm position on enlargement, “no matter what the offer is”. Ahead of the summit, the prime minister said Hungary’s position was crystal clear. “If we talk about enlargement, that is a merit-based, sophisticated, legal procedure,” he said, adding that enlargement carried conditions that had not been fulfilled in Ukraine’s case. “We will not budge on this, no matter what the offer is”, Orbán said. PM Orbán added that the enlargement of the community was “a legally defined process including preconditions”. Speaking ahead of the Brussels EU summit, he said that whereas the European Commission may say that Ukraine so far has met four out of a total of seven preconditions “the time is not yet ripe to talk about Ukraine’s membership”. “Hungarians … cannot be pressured,” he said. Concerning a planned, 50 billion euro fund for Ukraine, Orbán said the EU had already approved granting it as short-term aid from its budget, but longer-term aid must come from outside the EU budget … which Hungary may support,” he said. The prime minister added that enlargement of the community was “a legally defined process including preconditions”. Speaking ahead of the Brussels EU summit, he said that whereas the European Commission may say that Ukraine so far has met four out of a total seven preconditions “the time is not yet ripe to talk about Ukraine’s membership”. “Hungarians … cannot be pressured,” he said. Concerning a planned, 50 billion euro fund for Ukraine, Orbán said the EU had already approved granting it as short-term aid from its budget, but longer-term aid must come from outside the EU budget … which Hungary may support,” he said.