BUDAPEST, May 30. /TASS/. Citizens of European Union member states largely oppose Ukraine’s hurried accession to the bloc. However, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the European political elite - including national leaders - are reluctant to listen to these public sentiments. Orban made this remark during a morning broadcast on Kossuth Radio, where he commented on the EU’s ongoing discussions regarding Ukraine’s potential membership.
He shared that he has engaged in conversations about this issue with people across numerous European countries, including France and Italy. "There is a strong conviction there," Orban noted, "that Ukraine’s integration into Europe at this stage is an unfeasible goal."
Nevertheless, he emphasized the importance of assessing the state of European democracy itself: "The big question is how much influence the people truly have on the decisions of their leaders." Orban pointed out that Hungary is currently conducting a nationwide referendum on Ukraine’s EU accession, with over 1.6 million citizens already participating. The voting - available online and by mail - will continue until mid-June, and Budapest plans to consider the referendum results in its consultations with Brussels.
The Hungarian prime minister reaffirmed his government’s opposition to Ukraine’s swift accession. He warned that such a move "would trigger a financial catastrophe and amount to economic suicide" for the European Union. Orban explained that integrating a large yet unprepared country like Ukraine into the EU would have dire repercussions for the bloc’s budget, labor market, pension system, and agriculture.
"There is only one way to avoid these problems," he concluded, "and that is to stop debating Ukraine’s membership in the EU altogether."