Ukraine will ruin the European Union!

Victor Orbán in an interview with Kossuth Radio’s “Good Morning, Hungary” program
Photo: Kossuth Radio

Ukraine’s rushed accession to the European Union will cost 2.5 trillion euro to the community and cause irreparable losses to national budgets of its members, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, TASS quotes.

He told the Forum of Representatives from the Carpathian Basin in Budapest that claims about the possibility of integrating Ukraine into EU structures with minimal costs were false.

"Full integration of Ukraine, expected to take a few years, will cost approximately 2.5 trillion euro, which is 12 times higher than the common budget of the EU," Orban said.

He warned that expenditures for rebuilding Ukraine will also be huge, estimated at approximately 500 billion euro at the lowest. The Ukrainian government puts the figure at one trillion euro.

"Moreover, the functioning of the state of Ukraine already costs 100 billion euro annually," Orban added.

The Hungarian premier believes that the West’s "legendary quality of life has already been lost," and that the present-day European Union is not the same as 20 years ago, when Hungary joined it.

Ursula von der Leyen’s request for €2 trillion from member states

The European Commission’s seven-year budget is already facing backlash, with Ursula von der Leyen’s request for €2 trillion from member states being slapped down by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other leaders.

One of the main voices against the budget is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who says it is designed to bring Ukraine into the EU as a member and hand Kyiv billions of euros.

“If we look only at financial aspects, we should see that in addition to the 20-25 percent of budget resources allocated to Ukraine, 10-12 percent of previously taken out loans go to loan repayments,” said Orbán in an interview with Kossuth Radio’s “Good Morning, Hungary” program.

Adding up money to Ukraine and debt repayments, 30 percent of the budget goes to areas that were not included in the previous seven-year budget, said the Hungarian prime minister.

“That’s why everyone in the European Union is shouting,” he added.

“The budget is a great science to understand, you have to be able to read not only what is written in it, but also what is hidden behind the lines,” Orbán said.

As far as Orbán is concerned, the main goal of the budget is to admit Ukraine into the EU.

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“The EU budget has only one obvious purpose: to bring Ukraine into the EU, and these funds are transferred to Ukraine,” he said.

The EU budget will not survive

According to Orbán, this budget will not survive, with EU countries lining up to reject it. This may be much more than bravado, as it is widely reported at the moment that a number of key EU leaders are coming out against the budget, most notably German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“A comprehensive increase in the EU budget is unacceptable at a time when all member states are making considerable efforts to consolidate their national budgets,” said Stefan Kornelius, spokesperson for Merz’s government. “We will therefore not be able to accept the Commission’s proposal.”

A path forward will not be easy, as Orbán notes that any EU budget agreement requires unanimous approval from all member states.

Stubborn Russophobic Europe wants more sanctions against Russia – Viktor Orban is against it

European foreign ministers took multiple swipes at Hungary over Budapest’s plan to block the EU’s latest round of sanctions against Russia, POLITICO writes.

The bloc’s top diplomats gathered in Brussels to discuss approving the 20th package of sanctions against Moscow.

But Budapest vowed in advance to block the measures unless Kyiv allows Russian oil deliveries to continue flowing to Hungary and neighboring Slovakia.

Ukrainian authorities said the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies oil to the two Central European countries, was damaged by a Russian strike on Jan. 27. Hungary and Slovakia are claiming Kyiv is intentionally not restarting the pipeline.

Hungary is also threatening to block the €90 billion loan agreed by EU leaders in December, which is key to Ukraine’s wartime survival.

That’s earned the ire of Ukraine’s allies in the EU.

“I am astounded about the Hungarian position,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters as he headed into the Foreign Affairs Council. “I don’t think it’s right if Hungary uses its own fight for freedom to betray European sovereignty.”

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said he was “really upset and frustrated” with Hungary, adding that Budapest’s reasons “are not based in European needs, they are not based in European security interests.”

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski castigated Hungary. “I would’ve expected a much greater feeling of solidarity from Hungary for Ukraine,” he said.

Instead, he alleged Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has painted Kyiv as the enemy, and “now is trying to exploit that” narrative to win an April general election. Orbán, who has been in power for almost two decades, is trailing in the polls against an ascendant opposition.

Hungary has blocked previous packages of sanctions against Russia and tranches of aid for Ukraine, but has ultimately begrudgingly backed off in exchange for concessions.

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