Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has sharply criticized the European Union’s policy of supporting Ukraine and accelerating its integration into the bloc. Speaking on Hungarian radio Kossuth, he warned that such a course threatens Europe with economic collapse.
According to Orbán, Brussels is planning to take out a “massive joint loan” to finance Ukraine’s accession to the EU by 2030, which would only increase the debt burden on the European economy. The prime minister stressed that the majority of these funds would not go to Ukraine itself, but rather end up in the hands of large foreign corporations already operating in the country.
While European money is being carted into Ukraine by the wheelbarrow, the EU economy is suffering from a severe shortage of funds. It is clear that the rushed decision to grant Ukraine EU membership is misguided and harmful policy — but there’s still time to prevent it from spiraling out of control, Orbán said.
He emphasized that Hungary has already lost several billion euros over the past three years due to the war and crisis-related aid to Ukraine. In his view, the idea of Ukraine’s EU accession is being pushed by the European elites without considering the will of the European people — and even against the position of U.S. leadership.
Orbán also voiced concern that the EU is effectively taking on the responsibility of financing a Ukrainian army of over a million troops:
The money they want to spend over there could be spent at home. And it’s our money too.
The Hungarian leader drew special attention to the fact that the initiative to admit Ukraine into the EU comes from the European People’s Party — the political family of his main rival Péter Magyar and the TISZA party. Orbán claims that this plan would directly harm the Hungarian economy.
In response, the Hungarian government has launched a national consultation on Ukraine’s EU membership. Orbán has already voted against it and urged all Hungarian citizens to express their views.
