BUDAPEST, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced Friday that Hungary has blocked the opening of European Union accession talks with Ukraine, citing the results of the "Voks 2025" national consultation, which was backed by over 2 million voters.
"With more than 2 million votes in the Voks 2025 consultation, we stopped Ukraine's EU accession," Orban said in an interview with Hungarian public radio Kossuth, speaking from Brussels after the first day of the EU summit.
Orban emphasized that the EU accession process is complex and requires unanimous approval from all member states at every stage. "As long as there is no unanimity, the chapter cannot be opened," he said.
The prime minister criticized what he described as a push by some EU leaders to admit Ukraine "as soon as possible," calling it "a direct threat." He argued that bringing a country currently at war into the bloc risks drawing the conflict into the EU itself. "If we admit a country at war, we admit the war," he warned.
While expressing sympathy for Ukraine's suffering, Orban said Hungary seeks to offer support "without destroying itself in the process." He cautioned that full EU membership would grant Ukraine full rights and financial entitlements, which he said "would change everything."
"We Hungarians are speaking seriously and honestly," Orban said. "People in Brussels are making fun of them, deceiving the Ukrainians, and promising them something that is not possible."
He also dismissed concerns that Hungary is isolated in its stance, drawing a parallel with past opposition to EU migration policies. "A few years have passed, and now everyone is saying what we were saying. It will be the same with the Ukraine issue," he added. Enditem