Orban continues to oppose Ukraine's EU membership
Orban has been putting the brakes on European military aid for Ukraine for days. During his visit to France, he categorically rejected the war-torn country's accession to the EU. Ukraine is corrupt and must first come closer to Brussels. Parliamentarians accuse him of blackmail.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has reiterated his rejection of EU membership for Ukraine. "Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in the world", said the right-wing populist in an interview with the French weekly magazine "Le Point". "If their agriculture becomes part of EU agriculture, it will destroy it," he added. Furthermore, two thirds of the Hungarian population are against the opening of accession negotiations.
At best, a "strategic partnership" between the EU and Ukraine is conceivable, Orban emphasized. "If we manage to bring Ukraine closer to the EU, then we will see in a few years' time." Orban was received by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday evening. The Elysée had announced before the meeting that the two had also wanted to discuss support for Ukraine. Nothing was subsequently revealed about the actual content of the meeting.
EU funds for Hungary frozen due to lack of rule of law
Earlier this week, Orban threatened that the upcoming EU summit in December would "fail" if EU Council President Charles Michel did not remove the two main decisions to support Ukraine from the summit agenda. Macron then invited Orban to a working lunch in order to find a solution. Diplomats suspect that Orban's blockade threat is aimed at securing the release of 13 billion euros in EU funds for his country. The EU had frozen the funds due to rule of law problems in Hungary.
Members of the European Parliament accused Orban of "blackmail". In the interview, Orban also boasted once again that he had solved the migration problem in his country. "I am the only one who has built a wall," he said. "There are no migrants in Hungary, and I am proud of that". The EU should take an example from his country and only let in people who have been granted permission, he said. "If you think that accepting migrants will lead to something pleasant, to a new society (...), then do it," he said, referring to the other EU states. "We in Hungary think it's too risky."
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- Despite the EU Commission's support for Ukraine's EU membership, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, during his visit to Paris, continued to oppose Ukraine's accession to the EU.
- Following the EU's freeze of funds for Hungary due to rule of law issues, French President Emmanuel Macron invited Orban for a working lunch to find a solution, raising suspicions of blackmail tactics by Orban.
- The EU Parliament condemned Orban's actions, while Emmanuel Macron during their meeting in Paris, kept the actual content of their discussion regarding support for Ukraine confidential.
Source: www.ntv.de
