The Hungarian prime minister proposed an alternative to Ukraine’s accession to the EU

Hungary will not support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union (EU) and instead has proposed establishing a strategic partnership with the country.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on the social media platform X, commenting on remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding Budapest’s position on the issue.

The Hungarian leader reminded that EU enlargement decisions must be made unanimously by all member states. He explained that Hungary will not support Ukraine’s integration, as this could lead to war in Europe and the diversion of Hungarian taxpayers’ money to Kyiv.

“We believe the European Union should enter into a strategic partnership with Ukraine without granting EU membership. That is our proposal. We will stick to this position in the future, as we have every right to do so,”
Orbán wrote.

A few hours earlier, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that by 2030 several new countries — including Albania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Montenegro — could join the bloc. In her view, EU membership would serve as an important security guarantee for Ukraine.

Earlier, Zelensky rejected the idea of Ukraine joining the EU on a “probationary basis.”