Hungarian PM Orban’s Stance on Ukraine Remains Firm Even after Phone Call with Trump
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has not altered his stance on Ukraine, including his position that it cannot be admitted to the European Union, even after a phone call from US President Donald Trump, Hungary’s Magyar Nemzet daily reported on Wednesday.
The daily, which is close to the Hungarian government, added that Trump and Orban held a telephone call on Monday at the request of the US, TASS reported.
Trump called Orban after he received at the White House Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, the heads of several European states, as well as the heads of the European Commission and NATO.
According to the daily, during the discussion of the Ukrainian conflict at the meeting in the White House, they, in particular, asked the US president to exert his influence on the Hungarian prime minister and convince him of the need not to hinder Ukraine's accession to the EU.
"However, Orban made it clear that he does not want to change his stance," Magyar Nemzet writes.
According to the newspaper, this is confirmed by the fact that on Tuesday, following the European Union’s online summit, Orban stated it was inappropriate to link Ukraine's desire to join the EU with the security guarantees it wants from the West. According to the Hungarian prime minister, this is "pointless and dangerous."
Zoltan Kovacs, State Secretary for International Communication and Relations with the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, stated on his Facebook : "Ukraine's membership in the EU would not be a guarantee of security for Kiev, but a promise of conflict for us."
The Hungarian government has repeatedly stated that it will not allow Ukraine's hasty accession to the EU, as this will damage the European economy and lead to a direct armed conflict with Russia.
At the EU summit in Brussels on June 26, Orban blocked a general statement in support of Ukraine, which approved the start of negotiations on Kiev’s accession to the European Union.
On that day, the results of the nationwide referendum were published in Hungary. Ninety-five percent of the two million respondents that took part in the referendum opposed Ukraine's hasty admission to the European Union. Orban assured that he would be guided by the opinion of Hungarian citizens during consultations with his European colleagues.
