President of Hungary: the EU is "not in a position" to launch accession negotiations with Ukraine
Leaders of the European Union are gathering today in Brussels for a two-day summit where the future of the bloc's Ukraine policy will be defined, Euronews reports.
Momentous decisions on whether to formally open membership negotiations with the war-torn nation and approve a €50-billion special fund in long-term support, which is pegged to a broader review of the common EU budget, are expected to be taken.
Relations with other candidate countries, such as Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the war between Israel and Hamas, the situation at the Finland-Russia border, migration, security and defence will also be on the packed agenda.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has cast himself as the summit's main protagonist by mounting a fierce opposition campaign to prevent accession talks with Ukraine and halt any further provisions of financial and military assistance. Both consequential decisions require the unanimity of the 27 member states and are therefore vulnerable to national vetoes.
Among his numerous grievances, the Hungarian premier has sharply criticised the European Commission's assessment of Ukraine's readiness to join the bloc. According to the executive, Kyiv has "fully" met four of the seven reforms necessary to kick-start negotiations, with work underway in the fields of anti-corruption, de-oligarchisation and the rights of minorities.
Orbán has called the assessment "unfounded and poorly prepared" and said the eventual accession of Ukraine would deprive Hungary of billions in agricultural and cohesion funds. The premier has pitched a "strategic partnership" with Ukraine as an alternative to EU membership, even if full-time membership would take years to materialise.
"Enlargement is not a theoretical issue, it's a merits-based, legally detailed process, which has preconditions," he said upon arrival on Thursday. "If you haven't fulfilled the preconditions, there is no chance to start the negotiations."
"We have to come back later on and revert to that issue again when it is fulfilled by the Ukrainians," he added.
