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Hungarian PM Orban says Ukraine’s time to join EU has not yet come

Viktor Orban stated previously in the month that he objected to including the issue of Ukraine's EU membership on the agenda of the organization’s meeting in Brussels on December 14-15

BUDAPEST, December 13. /TASS/. Ukraine is still not ready to become a member of the European Union, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday.

Orban pointed out addressing the country’s parliament, which discussed a resolution on suspending talks with Kiev about Ukraine joining the European Union, that "Fidesz’s [Hungarian Civic Alliance] stance aligns with the position of the country’s government."

"Everything has its appointed time, but the time for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union has not yet come," the Hungarian premier stated.

Hungary’s Premier Orban stated previously in the month that he objected to including the issue of Ukraine's EU membership on the agenda of the organization’s meeting in Brussels on December 14-15.

Hungary has repeatedly stated its intention to keep channels of communication with Russia open in order to continue looking for ways to resolve the Ukraine crisis, among other things.

Putin and Orban focused on this issue at their meeting in Beijing on the sidelines of the Belt and Road international forum on October 17.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated on Monday that it would be irresponsible to launch talks on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.

According to the top Hungarian diplomat, the European Commission’s statement that Ukraine meets four out of seven requirements for EU membership "simply is not true." Before beginning the talks, in his words, it is necessary to thoroughly analyze the potential consequences of Ukraine’s membership.

He recalled that Hungary has suggested the EU first establish strategic partnership with Ukraine and then, based on how this goes, decide on the beginning of admission talks. He said that it looks expedient to discuss formats of cooperation with Ukraine and organize discussions on this matter to receive answers to fundamental questions. "So far, we don’t know the answers to them," Szijjarto told journalists on Monday on the sidelines of an EU ministerial meeting on assistance to Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

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Ukraine crisis EU Hungary

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