ANKARA

Hungary will determine whether Ukraine can join the EU in the future, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Saturday, casting doubt on its European aspirations.

Speaking at his annual State of the Nation address in Budapest, Orban described Ukraine as a "buffer zone" between Russia and NATO and suggested it would remain in that role even after its three-year-long war with Russia ends.

Orban said Hungary will never support Ukraine’s EU accession if it harms Hungarian farmers and businesses.

"Ukraine will not join NATO, and whether it joins the EU is up to us," he said, emphasizing that the Ukraine war is nearing its end, but the real challenge lies in what follows.

The 27-member bloc started membership negotiations with Ukraine in June 2024. Unanimous approval from all countries is required to welcome a new member.

The nationalist leader, widely regarded as the Kremlin’s closest ally in the bloc, has previously threatened to veto EU sanctions on Russia, though he has ultimately supported them.

The Hungarian premier also appeared to question Ukraine’s statehood, claiming the war was “not even about Ukraine, but about the territory called Ukraine” being placed under NATO control.

“Ukraine, or what remains of it, will again become a buffer zone,” he said, mirroring recent remarks from members of the Trump administration suggesting Ukraine should abandon its NATO ambitions.