Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has officially stated that his country does not support Ukraine’s European Union membership. He did so after a consultative referendum in which the majority of the participants showed their opposition to Kiev’s European aspiration.
‘2 million 168 thousand of our compatriots voted in favour of not taking the risks of Ukraine’s accession to the EU. This is 95 per cent of all valid votes,’ Orban posted on his Facebook account. He added that he spoke for ‘well over two million Hungarians’.
The poll was held between early April and 20 June and was consultative, i.e., its outcome is not legally binding for the government. However, Orban’s declaration itself gives the results symbolic and political significance, especially considering recent crises in the relations between Kiev and Budapest. The opposition, on their part, criticized the vote-taking process. Peter Magyar, leader of Tisza party, said that only 600,000 voted. For him, the possibility to vote remotely raised questions about the legitimacy of the result. He also mentioned the secrecy of the vote count as well as the lack of external monitoring.
Hungary’s blocking Ukraine’s talks on joining the EU has strategic meaning, as all member states have to agree unanimously for a new member to be accepted into the EU. Budapest’s policy would thus become a serious hurdle to Kiev’s push into Europe.
Ukraine made its EU membership bid on 28 February 2022, shortly after the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion. Candidate status was granted to Ukraine in June 2022.
