At a summit in Brussels on Thursday, the European Union’s 26 other national leaders took the historic step of agreeing to start accession negotiations with a country at war, bypassing Orban’s grievances by getting him to leave the room.
The Kremlin praised Orban’s stance, which spokesman Dmitry Peskov said impressed Moscow, while criticising the EU, saying the decision to open membership talks was a politicised one that could destabilise the bloc.
“It is a great opportunity for Hungary to make it clear that it must get what it is entitled to. Not half of it, or one-fourth,” he said.
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Ukraine says Russian strike killed over 50 in one of the deadliest attacks of the war
Ukraine says Russian strike killed over 50 in one of the deadliest attacks of the war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the approval of membership talks as a victory for Ukraine and Europe.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said as he arrived for fresh talks on Friday that the decision to start accession talks made him “proud to be European” and was cause to celebrate, even if it was “only the first page of a very long, long process”.
But Orban warned Hungary could still block the talks at any time.
“This is a bad decision,” the nationalist leader said. “We can halt this process later on, and if needed we will pull the brakes, and the ultimate decision will be made by Hungarian parliament.”
The EU leaders ended talks on the financial package, which requires unanimity, in the early hours of Friday and said they would try again in January, voicing optimism a deal could be clinched then.
“I can assure you, Ukraine will not be left without support, there are different ways to do this,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said. “I am pretty confident we will have a solution by January.”
Member states could also provide aid individually or strike separate deals.
“The message to Ukraine is: we will be there to support you, we just need to figure out a few of the details together,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said.
Although membership would likely be many years away, the decision at the Brussels summit took Ukraine a step closer to its long-term strategic goal of anchoring itself in the West and liberating itself from Russia’s orbit.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz played a key role in getting Orban to leave the room to clear the way for a decision, diplomats and officials said.
De Croo, reflecting frustration with Orban, said it was time for the Hungarian to pipe down.
“If you are part of the decision, you agree with the decision, or afterwards you just have to keep your mouth shut,” he said.