PM Orban: Consultative Vote Should Be Held on Ukraine's EU Membership + Video

The Hungarian prime minister refused to sign the EU conclusions on military aid to Ukraine. He announced that the government would initiate a public opinion vote (consultative vote) domestically on Ukraine's European Union membership.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the EU summit in Brussels on March 6, 2025 (Source: Facebook)

26 EU member states supported the continuation of the war (Photo: AFP)

Viktor Orban: Europe Has Become Isolated

Responding to a journalist's question, PM Orban stated that Europe has essentially isolated itself from the United States, China (due to trade wars), and Russia (due to sanctions). "I think if anyone has become isolated, it is the European Union," he asserted when asked about Hungary's alleged isolation. The prime minister emphasized the need to separate two key issues:

There is the issue of war and the issue of EU membership. Both carry significant financial burdens, and Europe cannot handle them simultaneously.

In response to another question, he stated that Ukraine's EU accession would bring economic difficulties.

We are talking about enormous figures; Ukraine is a huge country. The entire European agricultural economy would be in trouble—certainly Hungary’s, and similarly, the neighboring countries of Ukraine. The entire agricultural system of the EU would be transformed. We are not prepared for this, which is why I believe we should slow down and, above all, gather public opinion on the matter. Hungary has a national consultation mechanism that we regularly use for this purpose,

he said. Mr Orban also spoke about his relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying that while their relationship has its ups and downs, Zelensky is Ukraine’s president, and he respects him. Finally, in response to another question, he stated: "If there is an abyss beside me, and some people try to bypass Hungary from that side, that is not a smart move."

An extraordinary EU summit was held in Brussels, where European Union leaders discussed the continuation of the war in Ukraine.

As previously reported, Viktor Orban refused to sign the EU conclusions on military aid to Ukraine. He was the only one among the 27 leaders to veto the proposal. According to Deak Daniel, a senior analyst at the XXI Century Institute, Brussels used all possible means, including coercion and threats.

Notably, even before the EU summit, Orban made it clear that he supports strengthening joint European defense policy—something he had proposed and advocated for years.

Europe will only be taken seriously if it strengthens its military and has greater defense capabilities,

Viktor Orban had previously stated. This was an issue the prime minister could get behind, the analyst said adding that Mr Orban, however, firmly rejects the pro-war stance of Brussels' elite, standing alone as the only European leader advocating for peace. His position is strengthened by a positive shift in American politics, and time appears to be on his side. 

No matter how much money Europe burns through on this war, in the end, it will be settled by a Russia-America agreement, while Europe will merely watch from the second row.

As a result, Orban could not be blackmailed, and he remained firm in his pro-peace stance at the EU summit, using his veto. Hungary did not support the EU sending more money and weapons to the war, which is why the other 26 member states could only adopt the proposal as a statement rather than a binding resolution.

Cover photo: Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the EU summit in Brussels on March 6, 2025 (Source: Facebook)