In a post on the social network X, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reiterated that Budapest feels no moral obligation to support Ukraine's accession to the European Union. According to him, the membership decision cannot be imposed and Kiev will not "exhaust" Hungary by pressure or public campaigning.
Orbán said in the post, "Hungary has no moral obligation to support Ukraine's accession to the EU. No country has ever got into the EU by blackmail - and it will not happen this time either." This direct wording underscores Budapest's perception of Zelensky's public appeals as a form of "moral blackmail," which it rejects as an inappropriate tool of international diplomacy.
The Prime Minister also recalled the legal framework: according to him, the EU Treaty does not allow for ambiguity - the accession of a new member must be approved unanimously by all Member States. This legal proviso is repeatedly cited by the press in its coverage of the current dispute between Budapest and Kiev. At the same time, the challenge has a strong domestic dimension. Orbán recalled the result of the recent referendum, where he said an "overwhelming majority" of voters rejected Ukraine's rapid accession to the Union.
Kiev's reaction was also clear: President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly declared that Ukraine would join the EU "with or without Orbán", underlining that he would not change course because of opposition from individual heads of state. This contradiction between Kiev's pro-European ambitions and the conditions of some member states illustrates the wider problem of consensus decision-making in Brussels.
The dispute over Hungary's position thus reopens the question of the future of EU enlargement, the sovereignty of member states and political pressures between East and West. Orbán is profiling himself as a voice defending "national interests" against the pressure of the majority, while Kiev is trying to maintain the momentum of its European integration.
gnews.cz - GH
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