Scholz tells how he distracted Orbán from voting on Ukraine
Photo: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Getty Images)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed that he suggested to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to leave the room for a 'coffee break' during the voting on the start of negotiations with Ukraine for EU accession, reports NTV.
Scholz noted that he does not want to make a coffee break for the Hungarian Prime Minister Orban a regular practice at EU summits to bypass his veto.
"It is impossible to solve the problem each time by going out the door. This is for special moments," emphasized Scholz.
He added that he proposed to Orban to take a short break to allow member countries to agree on negotiations for EU accession with Ukraine. After some thought, Orban agreed, explained Scholz.
"Then we made the decision to leave 26 people in the room," the Chancellor added.
However, Scholz emphasizes that it was "not a twist" but a proposal to assist Orban.
"This decision we made by mutual agreement in accordance with our rules. It's not something to do every time," he added.
Negotiations on Ukraine's EU accession
On December 14, during the summit, the leaders of European Union countries approved the start of negotiations for Ukraine's accession to the bloc. This happened despite Hungary threatening to veto the initiative.
As reported by Western media, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban left the room when the summit discussed the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine. Later, it was revealed that such a departure at the head of the Hungarian government was supposedly suggested by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
For more details on what awaits Ukraine after the decision to enter into negotiations, refer to the material by RBC-Ukraine.
