The Hungarian Prime Minister refuses to start talks on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union before the summit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made it clear upon his arrival at the EU summit that he would block the start of talks on Ukraine’s accession to the European bloc, setting himself firmly against the opinion of other European leaders.

Orban is blocking EU membership discussions and providing financial aid worth 50 billion euros to Kiev from the bloc’s budget, which angers his partners at a critical time for Ukraine.

The summit comes after the failure of the Ukrainian counter-attack to achieve significant gains and the failure of the government of US President Joe Biden to reach an agreement in the US Congress on a $60 billion aid package for Kiev.

“There is no reason to negotiate Ukraine’s membership now,” Orban said upon arriving at the Brussels summit. “We will have to come back later, to return to this issue again when the (preconditions) are met by the Ukrainians,” he said.

Orban also pointed to European Parliament elections in June next year, saying the bloc should “act democratically” and wait for a new political consensus, which could signal a months-long delay in any start of talks on Ukraine.

Officials and diplomats said that they were prepared in any case for difficult meetings at the summit that could extend until Friday evening or until the end of the week.

All EU national leaders, except Orban, supported starting talks with Ukraine.

“If Ukraine does not have the support of the European Union and the United States, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will win,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said upon his arrival at the summit, describing it as one of the most important meetings ever held. partner.

Deciding on the negotiations – which in any case will be a long process that could take many years – once they begin – requires consensus, and the Hungarian president, who maintains close relations with Moscow, has previously insisted that Ukraine is not ready for such a step.

Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said she was not optimistic, but added, “I hope we can reach an agreement at least on some of the items on the table.”

If EU leaders agree to begin accession discussions and a four-year financial package, Kiev may claim a geopolitical victory, while Moscow is likely to view no deal as a sign of weak Western support for Ukraine.