‘Ukraine ‘in every respect not ready’ for the start of negotiations on joining the EU’ – Prime Minister of Hungary says

Ukraine is “not ready in all respects” for the start of negotiations on EU membership.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made this statement on Kossuth Radio. 

Regarding the allocation of 50 billion euros to Ukraine from the EU budget, Orban claims that it is not about the money, which Brussels has frozen for Hungary.

“Hungary will never agree to link tranches to Ukraine from the EU budget and its accession to the EU with payments from Budapest,” he asserts.

Due to Hungary’s position, the European Union is already considering an alternative plan for financing Ukraine. Hungary has also stated that it will block negotiations if Ukraine does not soften its language legislation (a condition also included in the list of requirements from the European Commission to Kyiv).

It is worth noting that the day before, the Hungarian Prime Minister’s office stated that the EU has no right to start membership negotiations with Ukraine because it does not meet the necessary conditions.

“Ukraine has not fulfilled the conditions for negotiations with the EU… whether it’s promises regarding nationalities, the Copenhagen criteria or the situation with corruption… We must agree with Juncker’s (former President of the European Commission) preliminary statement that Ukraine is absolutely corrupt and not ready for EU membership,” said the head of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s office, Gergely Gulyás.

Recently, the European Commission recommended starting negotiations with Ukraine on joining the European Union.