Viktor Orbán Vetoes Joint Declaration on Ukraine at EU Summit

“I have vetoed the joint statement on Ukraine, and until the Hungarians express their opinion on Ukraine’s membership of the European Union, we cannot support any common position on this issue”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on his social media page on Thursday.

In a video recorded in Brussels during a break in the EU summit, Mr Orbán recalled that this was not the first such battle for Hungary. “We will not agree to a common European position that includes Hungary and is pro-war,” he emphasized.

❌ Veto! Enough is enough! We will ask the Hungarian people about the EU-membership of Ukraine. We cannot support any common position on this matter until then. pic.twitter.com/Mvlf7jKrI9

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) March 20, 2025

“Hungarian families have lost about 2.5 million forints (6,270 euros) per household in the last three years because of the war and I have to stop this, this has to stop, we must not allow Hungarian families to continue to pay the economic consequences of the war,” he stressed.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the only way to achieve this is “if we persuade Europe, instead of embarking on war adventures, to simply support the President of the United States in his peace efforts, and then there will be peace”.

“This is the debate that has taken place. We could not convince each other, I vetoed the common position,” he stated. He noted that the Ukrainian President was also involved in this debate. “I would not say that he did it in a friendly way.

The President of Ukraine is in the wrong role, he is acting as if he is in the European Union and therefore he can afford to be more vocal, but he cannot do that.

He is an applicant who wants to be in the European Union,” Viktor Orbán said.

The Prime Minister added that people in Hungary are being asked right now what they think about Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. “It is no use President Zelenskyy urging us or standing on his head until we know the Hungarian people’s opinion, I cannot support him in this”, the Prime Minister underlined.

President of the European Council António Costa said after the summit that

financial and military support from the European Union and its Member States to Ukraine will be increased this year to help bring the war to an end as soon as possible and to promote the country’s integration into the EU.

Mr Costa stressed that the European Council supports “a comprehensive, just and lasting peace” and welcomes all efforts to achieve such a peace.

❗NOW AVAILABLE – Text on Ukraine #EUCO ↓https://t.co/itAURpvRDg

— EU Council Press (@EUCouncilPress) March 20, 2025

The text of the EU summit’s final declaration on Ukraine was endorsed by 26 heads of state or government, including with the signature of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has been criticized for breaking his promise to his voters with this compromise. In this context, António Costa said that Hungary’s position on how to support Ukraine in achieving peace differs from that of the other 26 member states. “We have to respect the differences. However, we cannot be blocked because Hungary has a different view. We have to continue to act and that is what we are doing,” he emphasized.

The leaders of the member states who supported the text of the summit’s final declaration made clear that the EU remains ready to step up pressure on Russia, including by imposing additional sanctions and strengthening the implementation of existing measures to weaken Russia’s ability to wage war.

“The Union today is a toothless lion,” Says the Prime Minister