The EU politicians working to block the €32 billion owed to Hungary are connected to billionaire oligarch George Soros, warned Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Hír TV’s political talk show.
“All these politicians are linked by the fact that they are all Soros’s people, which is why they are trying to get the €32 billion Hungary is owed to Ukraine. Hungary has now secured €10 (billion) of these €32 billion, but it still has to get another €22 billion,” Orbán said.
Orbán is referring to the fact that the EU recently unlocked €10 billion in funds owed to it from the EU, but the rest remains frozen.
The Hungarian leader made headlines earlier this month when he blocked the EU’s efforts to send €50 billion to Ukraine. He said he was apprehensive about the possibility that the funds for Hungary could be diverted to Ukraine:
“”It is not clear why we should make a decision on €50 billion when we do not even know what will happen on the front line in two months’ time,” Orbán said. He added that “after Hungary does not receive EU funds, we will end up with Hungarian money going to Ukraine.”
Although Hungary recently permitted the EU to begin the preliminary stages of admitting Ukraine into the EU, the Hungarian prime minister argued that Hungary would rather have a strategic partnership with Ukraine instead of accession talks,
“Hungary’s aim was to convince other EU leaders that neither Ukraine nor the EU was ready to admit it. The Hungarian government recommended that a strategic agreement with Ukraine should be concluded instead, which would mean quick assistance,” Orbán said.
He also said the EU was embarking on an “irresponsible adventure,” just as it had already done with Turkey. The Turks too had been granted candidate status, and that process has stalled.
Orban noted that there are usually very clear criteria for EU accession.
“We think there are serious doubt about the criteria which the European Commission has declared (Ukraine has) fulfilled,” he added.
He said that 26 member states had said that a gesture had to be made and that it was important that Ukraine did not feel abandoned., but the conditions for Ukraine’s accession are simply not there.
“We understand the Ukrainians’ intentions, but we cannot start negotiations,” Orbán argued.
Asked how the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer could say at home that Ukraine should not be admitted, and then vote for it without a word at the EU summit, Orbán said the Slovak prime minister and the Austrian chancellor also believe that it is a bad decision, but it is only the beginning of a long process, so other countries want to support this gesture, and they have done so.
