© Getty Images Zelenskyy thinks there are a few possibilities to resolve the issue.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, asserts that Hungary is obstructing Ukraine’s entrance into the EU due to the approaching elections . He suggests that a primary motivator for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is to bolster his party’s approval rating by preventing Kyiv’s membership . Zelenskyy stated this during a discussion with journalists, as Interfax-Ukraine reported on Thursday, October 9.
According to Zelenskyy, our allies desire to see Ukraine as a part of the EU.
“There is complete certainty, a vast majority supports us. 26 nations are in favor. Some challenges exist, but I grasp the overall sentiment. When the critical voting moment arrives, 26 nations will stand with us. This is the current reality,” the Ukrainian president conveyed, emphasizing that “Hungary does not support us.”
“There is only one factor – the impending elections in Hungary,” Zelenskyy stated, clarifying that the EU trajectory serves as the “main stimulus” for Orban’s election campaign, considering that the Hungarian prime minister centers his platform on critiquing every proposal from the European Union.
“He employs this critique to invigorate, shall we say, his voter base or a more hardline demographic. And for him, Ukraine constitutes one of the chief, perhaps even the foremost, incentives, enabling the approval rating of his party, the party of Hungary’s current Prime Minister, to rise explicitly from obstructing Ukraine,” Zelenskyy continued, implying that Orban will exhaust every avenue to impede Ukraine’s entry.
Zelenskyy proposed numerous solutions to navigate this circumstance, notably altering the decision-making protocols from unanimous endorsement to “majority” voting, an idea under consideration within the EU.
“A modification in the procedures is being debated behind the scenes in the European Union, where choices are made by the majority. We must progress to that stage,” Zelenskyy remarked.
The second avenue, according to Zelenskyy, involves partners utilizing alternative methods to sway Orban’s stance.
“As of now, there are no other options,” the Ukrainian president included.
In collaboration with the EU, Ukraine anticipates finalizing six negotiation chapters by the close of this year, Zelenskyy revealed.
Orban routinely obstructs “pro-Ukrainian initiatives” within the EU, and even initiated a so-called national survey in Hungary focusing on whether Hungarians desire Ukraine to join the EU. Do such “national consultations” possess legal validity, and what is the underlying motive? The article “ Voice of the people or manipulation? What is behind Orban’s poll on Ukraine’s accession to the EU ” by Yulia Nevmerzhytska provides insights into these questions.
