The majority of Europeans are against Ukraine's rapid accession to the EU, Orbán says. Hungary also rejects $1.5 trillion in funding for Ukraine

BUDAPEST - Three quarters of EU citizens oppose Ukraine's fast-track accession to the EU, and in Hungary this opinion is shared by 95 % of the population. This was stated by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, referring to the results of a survey conducted in EU countries by the Hungarian political science institute Szazadveg.

„Three quarters of Europeans reject Ukraine's fast-track admission to the European Union. Yet Brussels goes ahead regardless of their opinion. They don't care what the people think as long as a few European governments can stand up to the will of Brussels. Hungary is one of the exceptions,“ Orbán wrote on the X network.

According to him, 95 % Hungarians rejected Ukraine's fast-track EU membership because they want to protect Hungarian farmers, the safety of their families and peace in the country. Orbán stressed that his government will follow the will of the Hungarian people and will not allow Ukraine to join the EU. „We will not back down, no matter the pressure,“ the Prime Minister added.

Hungary also intends to block the European Union's plan to provide $1.5 trillion in financial aid to Ukraine over the next ten years. This was announced by Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó ahead of a meeting with his counterparts in Brussels.

„Brussels has accepted the Ukrainian demand for $1.5 trillion without any criticism and wants to provide this money from European funds. As long as our government remains in power, Brussels will not be able to allocate a single forint of the Hungarian people's money to implement this nonsensical plan,“ Szijjártó said.

At the EU Foreign Affairs Council, Hungary will not give in to pressure and will reject the Kiev-Brussels plan, he said. „The money of the Hungarian people will not be sent to Ukraine.“ he stressed.

According to available data, the EU has spent at least €193 billion in support of Ukraine over the past four years. In addition, it plans to provide an interest-free „military loan“ of EUR 90 billion between 2026 and 2027. The EU, together with other Western countries and international organisations, intends to allocate around USD 800 billion over the next ten years for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction and a further USD 700 billion for military purposes.

Kiev's request for a total of $1.5 trillion is included in the development roadmap for Ukraine, which was prepared by the European Commission and presented to EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on 22 January. The Hungarian government has warned that the Ukrainian authorities will never repay the funds and that the burden will be borne by future generations of Europeans.