Almost two weeks after Hungarian leader Viktor Orban claimed that “Ukraine won’t win” the war against Russia he has now threatened to veto the start of negotiations with Ukraine to join the European Union.
Orban who is an ally of Vladimir Putin has said Budapest will veto the negotiations until Hungarian requirements regarding the language of education are met.
Political director of the Hungarian Prime Minister Balazs Orban said in an interview with the Dutch broadcaster NOS, “new laws were introduced that have worsened the lives of Hungarians in Ukraine.”
Read more on Russia-Ukraine war:
Russia officially withdraws from NATO Cold War treaty banning live nuclear testing
Calls for frozen Russian assets valued at around €300 billion to be given to Ukraine
Storm Shadow missiles hit Russian HQ and Lyman-Kupiansk axis remains the ‘most difficult on the frontline’
Russia’s newest ship hit by three British made Storm Shadow missiles in Crimea
This is in reference to the recently introduced law in Ukraine, which obliges minorities, not only Hungarian, to receive at least 70% of education in Ukrainian which has angered Budapest.
This means that children who grow up in Hungarian-speaking families in Ukraine will be left significantly behind in education, which has concerned Hungary.
“We cannot agree with this,” Orban said.
Hungary’s position is absolutely clear: as long as this law exists, there can be no discussions with Ukrainians about their integration into the European Union.”
Orban said that “Hungary has always been a supporter of Ukraine’s rapprochement with the European Union,” but a stricter law on language allegedly changed everything.
“We will be blocking it until the problem is solved.”
On 27 October Orban told Radio Kossuth, “Russians won’t lose on the front lines” and claimed that military experts have warned it is “evident” Kyiv will not be victorious and that Western leaders will not acknowledge this.
The Hungarian leader said, “It is absolutely clear that the Ukrainians won’t win on the front lines. All military experts talk and write about it, but politicians dare not admit they have chosen a flawed strategy.”
Orban and the newly appointed Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico are threatening to obstruct aid heading into Ukraine.
He said “We keep open all the communication lines to the Russians. Otherwise, there would be no chance for peace.
“This is a strategy. So we are proud of it.”
Leave a Comment