Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Hungarians Will Decide Whether Ukraine Can Join the European Union, Orbán Says
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 months ago on
February 22, 2025

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán escalates tensions with Ukraine, asserting control over its EU membership prospects. (AP/Nicolas Tucat)

Share

KYIV, Ukraine — Hungary will be the one to decide whether Ukraine is able to achieve its hopes of joining the European Union in the future, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Saturday in an escalation of his adversarial posture toward Hungary’s war-ravaged neighbor.

Speaking at an annual State of the Nation address in Budapest to a closed circle of party members and supporters, Orbán described Ukraine as a buffer zone between Russia and NATO countries, and predicted that, following a cessation of Moscow’s war, it would resume that role despite its ambitions to join the Western military alliance.

He added that whether Ukraine can one day join the 27-member EU “will be decided by the Hungarians.”

“Against the will of Hungary and the Hungarians, Ukraine will never be a member of the European Union,” Orbán said. “Ukraine’s accession would destroy Hungarian farmers, and not only them, but the entire Hungarian national economy.”

Unanimity is required among leaders of all EU countries for accepting new members.

Orbán, considered the Kremlin’s closest partner among EU leaders, has been the bloc’s primary impediment in its efforts to assist Ukraine in the country’s struggle to defend against Russia’s full-scale invasion. He has frequently criticized, and threatened to veto, EU sanctions against Russia over its aggression, but has ultimately always voted for them.

Hungary’s Stance on Ukraine’s EU Aspirations

While Hungary, an EU and NATO member, has taken in Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict, it has also stood in the way of EU financial assistance to Kyiv and pushed for deeper economic and energy cooperation with Moscow despite the war.

Seeming to question Ukraine’s statehood, Orbán said Saturday that the war Russia launched nearly three years ago was “not even about Ukraine, but about the territory called Ukraine — which until now has been a buffer zone between NATO and Russia — being placed under the auspices of NATO.”

“Ukraine, or what remains of it, will again become a buffer zone,” Orbán said. “It will not become a NATO member.”

Those comments mirrored recent statements by members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, who have suggested Ukraine should abandon its hopes of joining NATO as a guarantor of its future security against potential Russian attacks.

Orbán’s Domestic Agenda and International Relations

Orbán, a Trump ally, has applauded the U.S. administration’s actions to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, claiming, with no evidence, that the agency was used to fund liberal causes in Hungary aimed at toppling his government.

He has promised a reckoning for nongovernmental organizations, media outlets and rights groups that have benefited from funding by USAID, saying they would be eliminated in Hungary and face “legal consequences.”

On Saturday, Orbán doubled down on his earlier crackdowns on civil society and LGBTQ+ people, saying his government would send a commissioner to the United States to collect data on Hungarian entities that had received USAID funding.

“We must urgently create the constitutional and legal conditions, so that we do not have to sit idly by as pseudo-civil public organizations serve foreign interests and organize political actions before our eyes,” Orbán said.

Constitutional Changes and LGBTQ+ Rights

He also announced that he would recommend that the Hungarian Constitution — which his party unilaterally authored in 2011 — be amended to say that a person is either a man or a woman, and hinted that his right-wing populist government would take steps to prohibit the annual LGBTQ+ Pride parade in Budapest this summer.

“I suggest we go on a counterattack here,” Orbán said. “I advise Pride organizers not to bother with the preparation of this year’s parade … Waste of money and time.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

Tulare Student Will Compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

Why Did the California Senate Shunt a Cost-Cutting Housing Bill?

10 hours ago

Fresno Teachers Call for Probe After Superintendent Orders Up Dossier Against Union

10 hours ago

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

WASHINGTON — Elon Musk is leaving his government role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump after spearheading efforts to reduce and ov...

8 hours ago

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)
8 hours ago

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

9 hours ago

Tulare Student Will Compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

10 hours ago

Federal Trade Court Blocks Trump From Imposing Sweeping Tariffs Under Emergency Powers Law

10 hours ago

Why Did the California Senate Shunt a Cost-Cutting Housing Bill?

10 hours ago

Fresno Teachers Call for Probe After Superintendent Orders Up Dossier Against Union

President Donald Trump holds a chart next to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick as Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
10 hours ago

US Court Blocks Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (not pictured) at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
10 hours ago

Rubio Says US Will Start Revoking Visas for Chinese Students

11 hours ago

CA Man’s 378-Year Sentence Overturned After Judge Rules Accuser May Have Made Up Charges

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend