BUDAPEST, December 24. /TASS/. Western countries should not make promises to Ukraine that it will be brought into the European Union in connection with the Russia conflict, because Budapest will not allow that, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in an interview with Magyar Nemzet newspaper.
When asked whether a situation could arise where Ukraine's membership in the EU would be the price of peace and whether this would be acceptable to Hungary, the prime minister said: "Fortunately, no such linkage exists."
When journalists drew his attention to the fact that Ukraine's accession to the EU was discussed at negotiations on the settlement of the conflict, Orban said that this was just an attempt to "sweeten a bitter pill." "EU membership is not a guarantee of [Ukraine's] security. Moreover, this will never happen. Ukraine's membership in the EU is unrealistic," he said.
He said that Hungary openly opposed the talks on bringing Ukraine into the EU, and besides, "there are a number of Western European countries where this would require a parliamentary decision or a referendum. That’s not going to happen." Orban added that Brussels is aware of this.
"The Europeans clearly see that Ukraine's accession will weaken rather than strengthen the union. Today, we still hear that Ukraine's military might will enhance Europe's security, but this is not true. Providing support to Ukraine takes away Europe's energy and resources. We are getting weaker every day because of Ukraine," the prime minister said.
The Hungarian government has repeatedly warned that it will not allow Ukraine's hasty accession to the European Union, as this will destroy the European economy and trigger a direct armed conflict with Russia. Budapest also demands that Kiev restore the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia. At a June 26 EU summit Orban blocked a general statement on support of Ukraine, which would have flashed the green light to the start of negotiations on its accession to the community.