SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Thursday that he has vetoed the European Union’s consensus on Ukraine and criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s approach.

Orban’s remarks came following the first day of a European Council summit in Brussels, where he reiterated Hungary’s opposition to what he described as a “pro-war” position within the EU.

European leaders gathered in Brussels to discuss the war in Ukraine, as well as economic, energy, defense, and foreign policy issues affecting the bloc’s security.

​​​​​​​Orban announced that Hungary will hold a referendum on Ukraine’s potential EU membership, stressing that his country will not support any common EU stance on the matter until the Hungarian people have expressed their opinion.

“Right now, we are asking the people of Hungary for their opinion on Ukraine’s EU membership. No matter how much President Zelenskyy pressures us, or even turns on his head, as long as we do not know the Hungarian people’s opinion, I cannot support him here,” he said.

“We cannot support any common position on this matter until then. We will not allow a common European position to be formed that includes Hungary and is pro-war,” Orban stated.

He emphasized that Hungary refuses to bear the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine and urged European leaders to support US-led peace efforts rather than engaging in what he called “war adventures.”

“Only then will there be peace,” he added.

Orban confirmed that he vetoed the EU’s joint position on Ukraine’s membership, citing an inconclusive debate during the Brussels meeting.

“We couldn’t convince each other, and I vetoed the common position,” he said.

Zelenskyy suffers role confusion

Regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s participation in the discussions, Orban criticized his stance, suggesting that he was acting as though Ukraine were already an EU member.

“The president of Ukraine seems to be suffering from role confusion, acting as if he were already in the European Union. He is an applicant who wants to join the EU, yet he took a sharper tone when, in fact, he cannot afford to,” Orban said.