Hungary stood out as the only European Union member state that did not sign the EU’s declaration supporting Ukraine this morning.
The country has often maintained a tense and hostile relationship both with Ukraine and the EU, positioning itself as one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies in Europe.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has consistently opposed Ukraine’s EU integration, warning that such a move would thrust the bloc “into a direct conflict immediately.”
This morning, Orban explained why his country’s name was missing from the declaration:
“The declaration attempts to set conditions for a meeting to which EU leaders were not invited.”
“The fact that the EU was sidelined is quite sad. The only thing that can worsen the situation is if we start issuing directives from the bank.”
“The only reasonable action for EU leaders is to initiate an EU-Russia summit, modeled after the US-Russia meeting.”
