BUDAPEST, March 11. /TASS/. Since Ukraine is involved in an armed conflict with Russia, its EU membership would lead to a war engulfing the entire Europe, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said at a press conference in Budapest following a meeting with Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya’s prime cabinet secretary and foreign minister.
Szijjarto confirmed that Hungary opposed Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU, which already was in a difficult economic situation. "Ukraine joining the EU security system would have tragic consequences from the economic point of view because if a country involved in an armed conflict joins the integration process, this actually means a continuation of war," he explained.
According to Szijjarto, the EU earlier provided economic and trade concessions to Ukraine, which the country exploited, harming the interests of European countries. That said, "we can now see clearly what impact Ukraine’s EU membership would have on our economy," he said.
"Let’s not forget that we allowed them to transport grain via Central European countries in order to send it to Africa. As a result, they brought grain here and flooded the market, devastating farmers in Central Europe. They can say whatever they want but we will represent the Hungarian people's position in debates on Ukraine’s integration into the EU," the top diplomat warned.
The Hungarian government announced after the March 6 EU summit that it would hold a national referendum on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and would be guided by its results during consultations with Brussels on the matter.