Orbán says no reason to start negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to EU

Orbán said this ahead of the European Council summit that starts on December 14 in Brussels, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

EU enlargement is not a theoretical but an achievement-based and very detailed process that has prerequisites, the prime minister said, adding that even the European Commission admitted that three out of the seven conditions set before Ukraine have not been fulfilled so there is no reason to discuss negotiations with Ukraine today.

He emphasized that the prerequisites had been put forward by the European Commission, not Hungary as an individual member state, adding that the failure to fulfill three of them leaves Ukraine no chance to have negotiations launched.

He also noted that there is currently no reason to discuss a long-term financing mechanism for Ukraine, since in the short-term perspective such financing has been laid down in the already approved EU budget.

Long-term and larger contributions should be made outside the budget, which Hungary would support, the prime minister noted,

Answering a question about Hungary receiving EUR 10 billion from the European Commission, he noted that Hungary does not trade principles and neither does it combine any Hungarian issues with Ukrainian ones.

As reported, a two-day summit of the European Council began today in Brussels, to consider decisions that will have historical significance for Ukraine. In particular, it is about the start of negotiations between the EU and Ukraine regarding accession, as well as the creation of the Ukraine Facility in the amount of EUR 50 billion in the revised multiyear EU budget for 2024-2027.

Photo: Vivien Cher Benko/PM's Press Office