“It is our firm belief that the EU member states have an inalienable right to decide which other states to allow into the community of European countries,” Balázs Orbán said in Brussels.
Balázs Orbán, the prime minister’s political director, said on Thursday that if Ukraine joined the European Union in the present circumstances the whole of Europe “would be destroyed”, noting that Hungarians will soon have a chance to express their opinion on the matter in a referendum.
“It is our firm belief that the EU member states have an inalienable right to decide which other states to allow into the community of European countries,” Orbán said in Brussels.
He added that this right must not be taken away from member states and neither should EU citizens be denied it. “So we believe in the necessity of expressing opinions in a democratic manner…” he said.
Orbán said Ukraine joining the bloc would come with “horrendous costs”, citing the necessity to rebuild Ukraine and finance its state. Moreover, the upheaval of cohesion and agricultural policies due to Ukraine’s involvement would cost Hungary dearly, he added.
“We’re convinced that speeding up the EU integration of Ukraine cannot be done responsibly in the current situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the political director said European unanimity regarding the Russia-Ukraine war had ceased to exist, which he attributed to “fundamental changes” in recent months. He noted that the new US leadership was working hard to restore channels of communication with the Russians and to move towards a ceasefire followed by peace talks.
He said this coincided with the Hungarian position, one that the Hungarian government has held for three years.
At the same time, he said the Brussels institutional system and several member states believed that the European Council should support the continuation of a war strategy “that has failed in the past three years”. He added that they wanted arms deliveries and to prolong the war.
“We Hungarians cannot assist in that,” he said, adding that sooner or later the changed situation would force Europe and the Brussels bureaucrats to adopt a more sensible approach.
He said if the EU maintained its pro-war position, it would fall behind and not be involved in the peace talks.
“We are convinced that the EU must support US efforts aimed at a ceasefire and peace talks,” he said.
