Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán once again refused to endorse the European Union’s collective stance on Ukraine, making Hungary the sole EU member to withhold support from a joint statement reaffirming the bloc’s commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The statement, backed by 26 out of 27 EU nations, was issued following the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Prime Minister Orbán explained his position in an interview with Patriota republished by Magyar Nemzet, stating that he could not support another round of financial and military aid for Ukraine, which he views as a step toward prolonging the conflict rather than promoting peace.
“Once again, they wanted to adopt a common position in which we want to give Ukraine even more money and even more weapons, and we are committed to the war,” he said.
He emphasized that Hungary refuses to align itself with the “pro-war” stance of Western European leaders, arguing that the ongoing conflict has already taken a significant economic toll on Hungarian households. “Over the past three years, Hungarian families have lost around 2.5 million forints (approximately €6,268) per household as a result of the war. I must stop this, and we must not allow Hungarian families to continue to pay the economic consequences,” Orbán stated.
He called for Europe to shift its focus toward supporting diplomatic solutions and President Trump’s peace efforts.
“There is one way to achieve this: if we get Europe to support the president of the United States in his peace efforts, instead of embarking on war adventures, and then there will be peace. This debate took place, but we were unable to convince each other. I vetoed the common position, and therefore the European Union has no common position. What will be made public here today is nothing more than the private position of 26 member states, not the common position of the European Union, because without Hungary such a position cannot be accepted.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy participated in the debate but reportedly took a sharp tone, which Orbán viewed as inappropriate.
“I wouldn’t say he did it in a friendly way. The president of Ukraine is confused about his role, he is behaving as if he were in the European Union and therefore could afford to take a sharper tone when he cannot do so. He is an applicant who wants to join the European Union, about which opinions are divided,” Orbán remarked.
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) March 20, 2025
Veto! Enough is enough! We will ask the Hungarian people about the EU-membership of Ukraine. We cannot support any common position on this matter until then. pic.twitter.com/Mvlf7jKrI9
Hungary is currently consulting its citizens regarding Ukraine’s potential EU membership, and Orbán made it clear that he would not support Ukraine’s accession without the approval of the Hungarian people. “No matter how much President Zelenskyy urges us or is turning himself upside down, until we know the opinion of the Hungarian people and they have decided what Hungary’s position should be, I cannot support him in this.”
Regarding financial support for Ukraine, Orbán criticized the EU’s approach, asserting that the bloc has already blown billions in taxpayers’ cash on the conflict to no avail.
“The EU has not a single penny, it has spent all its money, and when it talks about wanting to continue arming Ukraine, maintaining the Ukrainian army, financing the operation of the Ukrainian state at all, or rebuilding Ukraine, it does so in such a way that if it pulls out its pocket, it will not find a single penny in it. These are all made without financial collateral, so I think they are empty promises.”
He also speculated on the potential outcome of a peace agreement between Russia and the United States.
“Our situation is simple. We know what our response will be. We open a bottle of champagne and say that’s what we’ve always wanted. The pro-peace president of the United States has arrived, despite the fact that the European Union opposed this, he has pushed through his own idea, and there will be peace. And after there is peace, economic life will resume, and national economies will take off again, and everyone, including the Hungarian people, will benefit from this. So we will applaud and rejoice, for us this will be a success.”
Following the debate on Ukraine, Orbán called for Brussels to refocus on economic competitiveness. “The important thing is that everyone calms down now, this Ukrainian steam goes out of the room. President Zelensky will not participate in the rest of the talks. Here, too, he was only present with the help of a video, so we are airing out, everyone is calming down, and now we are dealing with another topic, which is competitiveness.”
He warned that the EU faces serious economic challenges even beyond the Ukraine conflict. “There is enough trouble here as well: the European Union has lost its competitiveness even without Ukraine, and economies are in trouble. The president of the European Central Bank, Mrs. Lagarde, will be here, the head of the finance ministries will also be here, and we will listen to their opinions, let us say the views of the business world, on what the European Union needs to do to ensure that its member states do not go bankrupt.”
Lastly, the Hungarian premier reiterated Hungary’s commitment to securing its own economic future while hoping for broader European success.
“Hungary has serious interests here as well. We have a strategy that can make Hungary successful even in the event of the EU’s stumbles or even in the event of a misguided economic policy, but we would achieve much more, and it would be much better for Hungary if we did not have to be successful alone, but if we could be part of a common European success together with the other 26 countries.”
