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Hungary considers Ukraine's EU membership contrary to its interests

11 September 2025 14:09 (UTC +04:00)

Ukraine's membership in the European Union is against Hungary's economic and security interests, said Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó during a meeting with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kaccha, APA reports.

Szijjártó reported on his "X" account about his meeting with the Ukrainian official.

"Today I met Ukraine’s Deputy PM in Budapest. Hungary wants good relations with all of its neighbours, including Ukraine. But our relations are not in their best shape, and the responsibility for this lies entirely with Kyiv.

It was not Hungary that took away from the Ukrainian minority their rights to use their mother tongue. It is not Hungary that endangers Ukraine’s energy security. It is not Hungary that tries to drag them into a war against their will.

Still, we support positive steps that build trust. A bilingual Hungarian–Ukrainian school has opened in Budapest, we hosted 12,500 Ukrainian children in summer camps, and new train connections now link Transcarpathia with Budapest and Vienna.

But the problem is that since 2015 the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia has been systematically deprived of the rights to use its mother tongue. We have set out 11 clear points, adding up to one demand: Ukraine must return all the rights that existed before 2015. If anti-corruption laws could be reversed under EU pressure, they can be reversed in this case as well.

I called on Ukraine to stop the attacks against the Druzhba oil pipeline, which delivers oil to Hungary. These strikes do not hurt Russia, they hurt us, threatening our energy security. Meanwhile, Hungary continues to supply 40% of Ukraine’s electricity imports and 50% of its gas.

The Hungarian people have made a clear decision: Ukraine’s EU membership goes against Hungary’s economic and security interests. A strategic partnership between the EU and Ukraine is more realistic. Membership would bring unacceptable risks, including the danger of dragging the EU into war.

We are open to good relations with Ukraine, but we will never give up our national interest. The future of Hungarian–Ukrainian relations depends solely on Kyiv."