Hungary demands removing Ukraine’s membership from EU summit agenda

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has urged the European Union not to start discussions on Ukraine’s membership talks at a summit in Brussels next week. According to Orban, given the current level of political and technical preparations, these expectations are groundless, Bloomberg wrote.

In a letter to European Council President Charles Michel, which has come into the agency’s possession, Orban is trying once again to pressure the EU council chief to rethink support for Ukraine’s membership. This creates serious obstacles for the discussions, as the unanimous support of all 27 EU member states is needed to start negotiations.

The Hungarian prime minister’s behaviour, the portal writes, will put a heavy burden on the allies and their support for Ukrainian troops. In addition, it has become another blow for Volodymyr Zelensky. However, Kiev’s position is even more undermined by concerns about further funding from the USA, as Republicans in Congress refused to approve a new tranche.