Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that his country does not want to belong to joint international organizations with Ukraine. In particular, the Hungarian leader opposed Ukraine's membership in the European Union and NATO, proposing instead only a "strategic agreement" with Kyiv.
Orban claims that Hungarians do not want to be in the same integration format — military, like NATO, or political-economic, like the EU — with Ukrainians. He also questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty, noting that “Ukraine does not have the money to support itself, and if someone else pays for you, you are not a sovereign country.”.
In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Szybiga recalled that Hungary and Ukraine already jointly belong to numerous international organizations, including the UN, the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization, the IMF, the EBRD, the Danube Commission, the OPCW, the IAEA, the FAO, and dozens of others. Szybiga rhetorically asked whether Hungary planned to leave all of these organizations.
Orban's statement came on the sidelines of the EU summit in Copenhagen. He emphasized that his country is only ready for a "strategic agreement," not for Ukraine's full membership in any international institution.
In the comments under the relevant posts, some users, both Ukrainians and Hungarians, note that the idea of Hungary's withdrawal from the EU and NATO in favor of Ukraine has a "fairly valid" justification, although it is perceived as a radical proposal.
