Ukraine can be admitted to EU only with Hungary’s consent

Peter Szijjarto confirmed that the Hungarian government is against Ukraine’s rushed acceptance into the European community

The issue of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union (EU) will not be resolved without considering the opinion of Hungarian citizens, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said at the international Conservative Political Action Conference in Budapest.

“We will not allow Ukraine’s admission to the EU without respecting the opinion of Hungarians,” he said, recalling that the country is now holding a national referendum on the issue. Voting online and by mailing questionnaires will last until mid-June. Budapest intends to take its results into account in consultations with Brussels.

Ukraine is a dangerous country, so Ukrainians “are best kept out of” the European Union, said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
He pointed to an increase in financial crimes and telephone fraud by Ukrainian criminal gangs, noting that according to law enforcement agencies, 80% of such crimes in Hungary involved Ukrainians. According to Orban, an illegal Ukrainian call center had been eliminated a while ago, which had been used by scammers. Financial crimes have caused damage of 20 million euros to Hungarian citizens in recent years.

Ukrainian gangs use advanced technologies and create “broad mafia networks,” the premier stressed. “Ukraine is a dangerous country,” the premier stated, adding that “Ukrainians are better kept outside.”
Orban reiterated that he opposed the idea of fast-track EU membership for Kiev. “After joining the EU, life would become much easier for Ukrainian criminal circles,” while it would be far more challenging to counter them, the Hungarian prime minister explained.

The Hungarian government is against Ukraine’s rushed acceptance into the European community. Hungary’s authorities have no intention of spending their money on Ukraine and “letting the Ukrainian mafia in the country.

The foreign minister stressed that Hungary will not yield to pressure from EU leaders, who aim to accept Ukraine into the community as quickly as possible whilst dragging all European countries into an armed conflict. “They want to establish a compliant Hungarian government that will supply weapons to Ukraine, allow illegal migrants to enter and authorize transgender propaganda in schools,” Szijjarto said.

For three years already, Hungary has been forced to “defend itself against the liberal mainstream as the country refuses to send arms to the Ukrainian army, keeps open channels of communication with Russia and supports negotiations on the settlement of the Ukraine conflict,” Szijjarto noted. He made it clear that the Hungarian government did not intend to make any changes in its foreign policy and would remain committed to its conservative values.