BRUSSELS — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban demanded on Monday that Ukraine’s membership within the European Union and billions of euros in funding meant for the war-torn nation be taken off the agenda at a summit of the bloc’s leaders subsequent week.
In a letter to European Council President Charles Michel, who will chair the Dec. 14-15 summit in Brussels, Orban insisted {that a} “strategic discussion” is required first about Ukraine’s European future and warned that forcing a choice may destroy EU unity.
Decisions on EU‘s enlargement and a review of its long-term budget, which includes 50 billion euros ($54.1 billion) in aid for Kyiv, can only be taken unanimously by all 27 member countries.
“I respectfully urge you not to invite the European Council to decide on these matters in December as the obvious lack of consensus would inevitably lead to failure,” Orban wrote in the letter, dated Dec. 4 and seen by The Associated Press.
EU leaders, he wrote, “must avoid this counterproductive scenario for the sake of unity, our most important asset.” He did not explicitly say that Hungary would veto any moves to open membership talks with Ukraine, but the threat was implicit.
Michel’s workplace declined to remark.
Ukraine is relying on the EU funds to assist its war-stricken economic system survive within the coming 12 months.
Last month, the European Commission, which supervises the enlargement course of, really useful that Ukraine be allowed open membership talks as soon as it addresses governance points akin to corruption, lobbying considerations and restrictions that may stop its minorities from finding out and studying in their very own languages.
Orban has additionally claimed Ukraine is “light years” away from becoming a member of the EU and that its membership wouldn’t be in Hungary’s pursuits.
He is broadly thought-about considered one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies in Europe and his nationalist authorities has lengthy argued towards EU sanctions on Russia over its 2022 invasion and has held up monetary support for Kyiv.
Orban has additionally argued that accession talks mustn’t start with a rustic at battle, and that Ukraine’s membership would drastically change the best way the 27-nation EU distributes funds amongst member international locations.
In the letter, Orban lambasted the fee’s proposal to start out talks regardless that all preconditions haven’t been met, saying it “marks the end of the European Union’s enlargement policy as an objective and merit-based instrument.”
He described the fee’s proposal for a mid-term overview of the 2021-27 price range, which has blown out as a consequence of spending to counter the affect of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s battle on Ukraine, as “unsubstantiated, unbalanced and unrealistic proposal.”
Orban has been locked in a tussle with the fee over considerations in Brussels about rule of regulation and corruption requirements in Hungary. The EU froze billions in funding to Budapest over the shortcomings, however has freed up some cash in latest weeks and is anticipated to take action once more earlier than the summit.
Orban‘s letter indicated the newly freed-up funds haven’t modified his thoughts about Ukraine.
