Orbán urges Michel again not to raise issue of Ukraine's membership

In Budapest, they also requested Brussels to remove the issue of macro-financial assistance to Kyiv from the agenda.

Orban's relevant proposals are outlined in his letter to Michel, and a copy of the document has reached journalists.

Question of Ukraine's accession to the EU

In the letter from the Hungarian Prime Minister, it is stated that there are "expectations" that at the mid-December summit, the European Council "can and must approve a decision to start negotiations on accession with Ukraine and review the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027."

"Given the current level of political and technical preparations, these expectations are unjustified," Orban asserts.

The head of the Hungarian government once again criticized the recommendation of the European Commission to start official negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. Orban referred to it as "the end of the EU's enlargement policy as an objective instrument based on values."

The Prime Minister of Hungary is also convinced that unanimity cannot be achieved on this issue.

Macro-financial assistance from the EU to Ukraine

According to Orban, discussions on providing Ukraine with 50 billion euros in macro-financial assistance over 4 years are supposedly focused on the "unfounded, unbalanced, and unrealistic proposal of the European Commission."

The official calls for the development of a new approach based on the "political and financial realities in the member countries," requiring "additional efforts and time."

In summary, Orban urges the President of the European Council not to propose that the body "make decisions on these issues in December, as the obvious lack of consensus will inevitably lead to failure."

Background

It is worth recalling that unanimity of all 27 member countries of the bloc is needed at the December meeting of EU leaders to approve the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession after meeting the final conditions.

Earlier today, on December 4, the European Commission reacted to the words of the Hungarian Prime Minister regarding the supposedly "unfounded proposal of the European Commission for Ukraine's accession to the EU." They disagree with Orban's statement, describing Ukraine's work as "impressive."

Adding to this, last week, the Prime Minister of Hungary also suggested not including the question of Ukraine's accession to the EU on the agenda of the EU leaders' summit on December 14-15. Specifically, Orban wants the EU to instead enter into a strategic partnership with Ukraine. Commenting on the initiative, the President of the European Council, Michel, noted that such a partnership is already established between the bloc and Ukraine, as the EU has an association agreement with the country.

By the way, before this, Orban also threatened to block all assistance from the EU to Ukraine. Additionally, he wants to obstruct the country's accession to the EU. In particular, the Hungarian Prime Minister threatens to disrupt the December summit of EU leaders.