Zelenskyy criticizes Orbán: Blocking Ukraine’s path to EU is support for Putin
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is effectively supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin by blocking Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made this statement during his speech at the EU Enlargement Summit.
"I would not want Viktor Orbán to continue supporting Russia, because blocking Ukraine’s EU accession is a very concrete form of support for Putin on Orbán’s part. And this is certainly not a positive," the Ukrainian head of state emphasized.
He noted that relations between Ukraine and Hungary should not be sacrificed for the sake of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Hungary. Elections are just a moment in the history of the two nations.
"That is nothing compared to what could be destroyed — the relationships between people. The most important thing is not to lose good-neighborly relations. That is what truly matters," Zelenskyy added.
Ukraine’s EU accession
At the end of 2023, EU leaders gave the "green light" to start negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the bloc.
As of November 2025, the negotiations have still not begun, as Hungary’s government is blocking the relevant decision.
Orbán is using various fabricated pretexts to turn Hungarians against Ukraine’s EU membership. In particular, he threatens that if Ukraine joins the bloc, the Hungarian economy "will be destroyed."
At the same time, the European Commission still expects to open the first negotiation clusters with Ukraine by the end of November. How the EU plans to bypass Hungary’s veto remains unknown.
Zelenskyy previously stated that even Russian President Vladimir Putin is not opposed to Ukraine joining the EU. Against this backdrop, Orbán’s position appears unusual.
