Budapest announced on Monday that it would not bow to pressure from other European Union member states to give the green light to accession talks with Ukraine at an EU summit this week, News.ro reported, citing Reuters.

Peter SijartoPhoto: Omer Taha Chetin / AFP / Profimedia

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba previously said it would be “devastating” for his country and the EU if the Dec. 14-15 summit does not approve accession talks and provide Kyiv with more financial and military aid to defend against a Russian invasion.

However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who prides himself on his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has threatened to veto talks on aid and enlargement.

Other member states, including Germany, have spoken in favor of opening accession talks with Kyiv, but Budapest stands by its position.

“Most European politicians want to make such important decisions when they are completely unprepared and have no strategic agreement on the future of Europe,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó wrote on Facebook before meeting his European counterparts in Brussels to prepare for the summit. “We will not give in to any pressure, regardless of the origin and perpetrators and regardless of the type of blackmail or promise,” the head of Hungarian diplomacy assured.

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Receiving new financial aid from Europe is crucial for Kyiv, and doubts are growing about future support from the US while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to hold talks on the issue in Washington.

All these decisions, as well as another one regarding the possible 12th round of EU sanctions against Russia, require the unanimous support of all 27 EU countries.

As the EU tries again to win Viktor Orbán’s support for Ukraine, the European Commission is expected this week to unblock Budapest’s access to €10 billion.

Diplomats said efforts by Georgia and Bosnia to advance their EU membership hopes with Viktor Orbán’s support would fail if Hungary vetoed talks with Ukraine, but some believed a compromise was still possible. Those who expect a concession from Viktor Orbán say that the start of negotiations with Ukraine may be delayed until March, after the last conditions are met. But others believe that the Hungarian leader may not be convinced.

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