Ukrainian President Zelenskyy believes that baulking Ukraine’s EU accession is a “very concrete form” of supporting President Putin. PM Orbán fired back harshly, questioning under which framework he would support cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union, and highlighting that Ukraine’s membership requires unanimity.
Zelenskyy slammed Orbán
“As leaders, we have no right to think only about ourselves or our elections, because this is just a moment in the history of our peoples. It is nothing compared to what can be destroyed – destroyed relations between people. The most important thing is not to lose good neighborly relations. That is what is really important,” the President of Ukraine stressed yesterday during an online meeting of the European Summit on Enlargement.
The prime minister’s response
Hungary does not and will not support Ukraine’s EU accession because that would mean bringing the war into Europe and giving away the Hungarians’ money for Ukraine – wrote Prime Minister Orbán Viktor on Facebook on Tuesday evening. The Prime Minister recalled that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, had on Tuesday at a Brussels conference “once again attacked Hungary and the Hungarian government with a variety of accusations”.
“Let us look at the facts! Regarding support: Hungary has welcomed refugees from Ukraine, with more than 14 million border crossings from Ukraine since the war began. We operate three Ukrainian schools at home, have cared for wounded soldiers and children, hosted over ten thousand Ukrainian children in camps in Hungary, trained healthcare personnel, rebuilt schools and kindergartens in Ukraine, were Ukraine’s largest gas supplier last year, and supply the most electricity,” the Prime Minister listed.
Orbán: Hungary does not owe anything to Ukraine
Orbán Viktor drew attention to the fact that Hungary has so far allocated a measurable 200 million euros to humanitarian aid for Ukrainians. “It is regrettable if this means nothing to President Zelenskyy,” he added.
“Furthermore, I would remind the President that Hungarian money is included in the support Ukraine receives from the European Union. While we do not rejoice in this, it remains a fact,” noted the Prime Minister.
- Op-ed – The Hungarian connection: How Moscow’s money captured Budapest
He went on: “I must reject the suggestion that Hungary owes anything to Ukraine. Ukraine does not protect Hungary from anything or anyone. We have never requested such protection nor will we. Hungary’s security is guaranteed by Hungarian defence capabilities and NATO, of which Ukraine is (fortunately) not a member.”
Unanimous decision required
“Finally, I would draw the President’s attention to the fact that the European Union’s member states decide unanimously on a country’s accession to the EU. This means that any Member State has the sovereign right to support or oppose the accession of a new member. Hungary does not support and will not support Ukraine’s membership of the European Union, as doing so would bring war into Europe and send Hungarian taxpayers’ money to Ukraine,” Orbán Viktor concluded.
- Click for more articles concerning Ukraine
In our view, the Union should enter into a strategic partnership with Ukraine without EU membership.
“This is our offer. We will stick to this position in the future, as we have every right to do so,” the Prime Minister closed his post.
“Hungary’s security is guaranteed by” … “NATO”.
And our economy has been doing as well as it is for over 2 decades because of the European Union.
Why does Mr. Orbán just say “thank you”? And the rest of our Politicians? A simple “thank you”?
Hungary’s military is a tiny speck in Europe incapable of defending the country. Once again Orban illustrates the parasitical nature of his government now saying Hungary is defended by NATO yet doing everything he can to undermine the organization by first of all blocking Sweden and Finland’s entry for almost two years. Orban consistently downplays the Russian threat to Europe and discourages Europe from arming itself for defence. This behaviour consistently points in one direction and that is Fidesz promotion of Russian interests. Ukrainian accession into the EU and its’ subsequent economic rebuilding would solidify Europe’s eastern flank. Putin’s nightmare is a successful Ukraine and a successful Ukraine is what we must promote.
Dear Larry, if we add up the NATO countries that are tiny dots and unable to defend themselves, then NATO is in a terrible position!? Even big countries and their armies like Germany are scrap heaps!Before she became EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen was Germany’s Minister of Defence!Together with Chancellor Merkel, she tore down the once great and modern Bundeswehr to its foundations!German generals had to deal with DEI and LBGTQ+ bullshit! Of the 135 Tornado jets, 85 were fit for flight and 20 were operational! CH-53 pilots lost their licenses because there was no funding for training and flight hours! German submarines were left stranded at the quay due to a lack of spare parts and trained personnel!During an exercise in Norway in 2018, armored infantry vehicles were equipped with black-painted broomsticks to give the impression they had machine guns! What Von der Leyen did spend money on was expensive consultancy firms like McKinsey!By the way, a judicial investigation was opened into these expensive consultancy assignments, which, quite coincidentally, disappeared in the trash when she became Commission President for the first time in 2019!?What is very strange is that one of her children suddenly got a lucrative job at the same Mc Kinsey!? In 2023, Hungary was among the eight NATO countries that spent 2% of their GDP on defense a year earlier than agreed within the alliance! In 2024, my so-called rich country Belgium gave 0.95% of GDP to defense, although it should have been 2%!The scandalous thing is that Belgium is the host country of NATO! What our politicians do have is a big mouth and they like to lecture others with a warning finger, like Hungary! I’ll spare you the list and scandalous situations of the Belgian army because otherwise I’ll waste a lot of your valuable time! I’d like to give you one! Out of a total strength of 23,000 “soldiers” we have about 30 generals! This means a general for less than 800 “soldiers”! By the way, just between you and me, the Canadian army isn’t exactly the best student either! Old ships and outdated F-18 Hornets (not super Hornets), of which I believe about 35 of the initial 85 are still really operational! The biggest clown within NATO is Secretary Rutte, who, when he was Prime Minister of the Netherlands, reduced the Dutch army to poverty! Now that his monthly salary contains many numbers, he has become a puppet of the military industrial complex! All the war drummers who are now defense ministers in Europe have never worn khaki themselves, let alone held a rifle! Now they’re calling on the youth of Europe to be ready to die, but they themselves will be the first to run like scared dogs when they hear the first Russian bullet whistle! Sincere greetings from a former soldier!
Larry has a very tainted point of view of Ukraine whilst sitting in his cubical at the US Embassy in Budapest. Ukraine is the 2nd most corrupt country on the planet only because the US is the most corrupt country just barely edging out Ukraine. Ukraine will likely cease to be a country soon if the green goblin doesn’t capitulate to the Russian Army. Zelenskis days are numbered, he can flee Ukraine now or he can remain and become another martyr of The Banderites. The clock is ticking on Ukraine. It is really sad for the Ukrainian citizens that their leaders betrayed them to the likes of Victoria “Cookies” Nudelman during the Maidan coup back in 2014. Orban is correct to resist the forces in Brussels that support the Ukrainian government as it presently stands. If he did not Europe will be drawn into another world war. If Larry and his kind get their way All of eastern Europe may find themselves as client states of Russia once again. next time they might never regain their sovereignty.
You have missed the point that Hungary has become a client state of Russia.
Add facts and data – https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2024
Ukraine bad, Hungary better, but still worst in the EU. On par with some rather dubious countries.
Time to grow up Larry , Based upon the activities of Washington, Brussels, London, and Berlin and their sticking their noses where it doesn’t belong. Orban is doing the right thing opposing the Russophobic war agenda that may well result in BIG MISTAKE number 3. Do you not see that there will be no winners and few survivors? NATO and the EU stand zero chance to defeat the Russians because they have effectively bankrupted and demilitarized themselves supporting Ukraine.
As former Military … I would hate to have to fight in a force where I have to buy my own gear, forced to fight with refurbished WW2 or Cold War hardware under a command that has little regard for the lives of its service members. That is where Mighty Russia is currently at.
Oh – and speaking of “sticking noses” – as a Russian War Fighter, you get to fight alongside poor sods of North Koreans, We already had (potentially deadly) issues communicating with other countries NATO formations – let alone Korean versus Russian.
There is only one european leader that worked to stop the killing on both sides, and try to work out agreement but the media and the EU insist he is a Russian puppet-this while the EU is gearing up for war. The EU is being destroyed from with in and it focused on conflict in Russia.
So, there you are in your cubical outside Victor’s office, the official troll of the current regime. When naming the most corrupt countries, your conveniently left out Hungary, which has been sucking at the tit of the EU for over 10 years, while Victor’s father is caretaker at this palace, his son in law and high school friends are all billionaires, and the country is in tatters. Healthcare, in tatters. Railroads, in tatters. Education, in tatters. Make a case for that.