Hungary Can Veto Real, Not Hypothetical EU-Ukraine Talks, Hungarian Foreign Minister Reveals

BUDAPEST (Sputnik) - Ukraine applied for EU membership on February 28, 2022, shortly after Russia launched its military operation. On June 23, 2022, Ukraine and Moldova were granted candidate status. The European Commission recommended in November 2023 that the EU open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
Sputnik
Hungary will be able to veto accession talks between the EU and Ukraine when they are real and not hypothetical, as now, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.
“I think we made the best decision. We do not take part in this decision, we are not responsible for it, and we also free ourselves from the consequences,” Szijjarto said in an interview with the Mandiner portal.
He said resorting to veto would be expedient “if, during preparation for real, and not hypothetical, as now, talks, Brussels wants to impose something unfavorable for us.”
Number of Ukrainians Supporting Kiev's Accession to NATO, EU Decreased Since July, Poll Reveals
On Thursday, the European Council decided to open EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and grant the EU candidate status to Georgia.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who did not vote on this decision at the summit, said the European Commission itself, in recommendations dated November 8, admitted that Ukraine had not yet met three conditions for launching membership talks.