Hungary will not support a "premature proposal" to admit Ukraine into the European Union, a government official said Thursday.
Gergely Gulyas, the chief of staff to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said it was premature to begin formal talks with Ukraine on the war-torn country joining the bloc.
"We are dealing with a completely premature proposal," Gulyas said during a news conference in Budapest, Hungary, according to The Associated Press. He added that Hungary "cannot contribute to a common decision" on inviting Ukraine to begin the membership process.
Earlier this month, the EU's executive arm recommended that Ukraine be allowed to begin membership talks once Kyiv addressed governance issues, such as corruption, lobbying concerns, and restrictions that prevent minorities from reading and studying in their own languages, the AP reported.
Gulyas also indicated that his country would not support proposed amendments to the EU's budget, which would deliver $54.5 billion in long-term aid to Kyiv.
According to the AP, Orban's chief of staff said the EU was "illegally" withholding funds from Hungary and that the government, therefore, would decline to support any budget amendment.
The bloc reportedly froze billions of dollars in funding to Budapest because Orban's government allegedly failed to recognize EU rule of law and corruption standards.
While Hungary maintains that the frozen EU funds are unrelated to other issues, many in Brussels view its threats to veto Ukraine membership and aid for Kyiv as a blackmail attempt aimed at getting the bloc to release the withheld funds.
Orban, who is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies in Europe, has been a main opponent of Ukraine joining the 27-nation bloc, saying earlier this month that he and his government would not support December talks on whether Kyiv should be invited to start membership negotiations.
Citing concerns about the treatment of ethnic Hungarians, Orban threatened earlier this year to withdraw support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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