Hungary's foreign minister opposes Ukraine's accession to the EU
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has said that if a vote on Ukraine 's accession to the European Union (EU) were held today, the Hungarian side would definitely vote against it because Kiev has not fulfilled the requirements for membership. He made the corresponding statement on January 23 while speaking at a press conference, the broadcast of which was published on the social network Facebook (owned by the recognized extremist company Meta, its activities are banned in Russia).
"If a vote were held today on whether Ukraine could become a member of the European Union, it is obvious that we would vote against it, because today Ukraine in no way meets the conditions necessary for membership in the European Union," he said.
The Hungarian foreign minister emphasized that the list of Kiev's unfulfilled demands is long.
Szijjártó named the rights of national minorities as the key one in this list. He said the rights of the Hungarian national community in Ukraine have been grossly violated over the past decade.
"It is obvious that neglecting the rights of national minorities is contrary to the values of the European Union," the diplomat concluded.
Earlier, on January 21, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Ukraine was not yet ready to join the EU, and he was not ready for its accession. According to him, the EU does not have the money to accept Kiev. In addition, he urged Ukraine to first settle relations with Slovakia and Hungary.
On January 20, Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki said that Ukraine's accelerated accession to the EU threatens Poland's economy. Nawrocki added that Ukraine's accession to the EU cannot be without certain conditions. He would set such conditions so that the Polish economy would be protected and the country would benefit.
Ukraine officially applied for EU membership on February 28, 2022.
