Hungary to carry ballot on Ukraine’s EU accession, Orban says

Hungary will perform an opinion survey on Ukraine's potential accession to the European Union, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban introduced on March 7, in accordance with Politico.

"Now we have the so-called nationwide session scheme, which we use frequently to gather the opinion of the folks, so we are going to use the identical scheme simply now," Orban informed reporters after an emergency summit of EU leaders in Brussels.

Orban, extensively thought to be the EU's most pro-Russian chief, has repeatedly opposed army support for Ukraine and warned that Ukraine's EU membership would "destroy" Hungary. He has maintained shut ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin regardless of Russia's full-scale invasion, amplifying Kremlin narratives in Europe.

Since 2010, Orban's authorities has held greater than a dozen so-called nationwide consultations on points similar to migration and LGBTQ rights.

These referendums are non-binding letter campaigns despatched to Hungarian voters with questions framed to align with the federal government's place.

The political opposition and civil society teams have criticized these consultations as propaganda instruments, pointing to their main wording and low participation charges.

As an illustration, a 2023 session on EU migration coverage requested Hungarians in the event that they supported Brussels's creation of "migrant ghettos" in Hungary.

Lower than 20% of voters participated, however 99% of those that did responded "no."

"For the primary time, Hungarians have an opportunity in Europe to determine whether or not they help Ukraine's EU membership or not," Hungary's authorities spokesperson Balazs Orban posted on X.

Ukraine utilized for EU membership in 2022 and was granted candidate standing inside months. Accession talks started in June 2024, with European leaders setting 2030 as a goal for Ukraine's potential entry.

Like all EU members, Hungary holds veto energy over additional progress, permitting Budapest to delay or block Ukraine's accession.

EU leaders sideline Hungary as they pledge continued support for UkraineTwenty-six EU member states denounced Russian aggression and pledged continued support for Ukraine in a joint resolution issued at an emergency summit on March 6, despite Hungary dissenting.The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek