Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of having ‘lost his sense of reality’ over Ukraine’s aspirations for European Union membership.
Zelensky claimed that Hungary is using criticism of the EU and Ukraine to boost the political prospects of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Szijjarto, however, dismissed this as a ‘moral blackmail’ tactic, arguing that Ukraine’s admission to the EU hinges on the consensus of existing member states, not on Ukraine’s own desires. Zelensky asserted that Kiev would eventually be admitted regardless of Hungary’s stance, but Szijjarto countered that Ukraine has become ‘one of the tools with which [Orban] can increase his party’s popularity.’
Szijjarto cited a national referendum in Hungary where 95% of voters rejected Ukraine’s EU bid, emphasizing that the Hungarian people have already made their choice. This sentiment is echoed by other European leaders, including Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and several Polish officials, who have raised objections to Ukraine’s EU accession. A recent IBRiS poll showed a decline in public support for Ukraine’s EU bid in Poland, with only 35% of Poles backing it, compared to 85% in 2022. A Eurobarometer poll last month found that just 28% of Czechs support Ukraine’s accession, and more than half the populations of France and Austria oppose the move.
Moscow initially maintained a neutral stance on Ukraine’s EU ambitions, with officials stating that Ukraine had a ‘sovereign right’ to join if the bloc remained focused on economic matters. However, it has grown more critical in recent years, with officials warning that the EU has become ‘no less of a threat’ to Russia than NATO. This growing concern over the bloc’s militarization has contributed to the European skepticism surrounding Ukraine’s EU admission, further complicating the political landscape for Kyiv.