Hungary's Prime Minister once again says he is against talks on Ukraine's accession to EU

Thursday, 7 December 2023, 21:02

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has held a telephone conversation with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez against the backdrop of Spain’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. Orbán has once again said that EU leaders should refrain from discussing Ukraine’s accession to the EU during the December meeting of the Council of the EU.

Source: Orbán and Sánchez on Twitter (X), as reported by European Pravda

Quote from Orbán: "I had a frank phone conversation today with [Spanish] Prime Minister [Pedro Sánchez]. My message was clear: we should refrain from discussing the issue of Ukraine’s EU accession during the December [Council of the European Union], as there is no unity among member states on this matter."

Details: Meanwhile, Sánchez said, without giving any details, that he discussed "Ukraine’s progress towards accession to the EU" with Orbán. He promised that Spain will do everything it can in its capacity as the President of the Council of the EU to achieve consensus and maintain military support for Ukraine.

"Protecting international order founded on rules is one of the European Union’s foundational values," Sánchez stressed.

Hungary is deliberately blocking the adoption of decisions related to Ukraine during the forthcoming meeting of EU leaders, from the start of accession negotiations to the approval of €50 billion of financial assistance.

Background:

  • French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to a meeting in Paris later this week to find a compromise on starting negotiations with Ukraine on its EU membership.  
  • Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has held a telephone conversation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, during which, among other things, issues related to Ukraine were discussed.

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