Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that he had a "great" meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and that Budapest's position is clear on the eve of the EU summit, amid Hungary's resistance to supporting important decisions on Ukraine, UNN reports.
Had a great meeting yesterday with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The Hungarian position is clear ahead of the December EU Council
To recap
Orban recently demanded that no decisions should be made at the EU summit in December regarding the start of membership negotiations with Ukraine and the adoption of budget amendments that include 50 billion euros for economic support for Ukraine.
The Hungarian prime minister, who has maintained ties with Moscow even as the EU imposed sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine, is at odds with the European Commission, according to Reuters.
In an interview with Le Point during his visit to Paris, Orban once again emphasized Ukraine's corruption and opposed the start of negotiations on its accession to the EU.
According to Le Point , Emmanuel Macron did not convince Viktor Orban to lift the blockade during a dinner in Paris on December 7 in the evening.
"Hosting the Hungarian prime minister on Thursday, Emmanuel Macron failed to break some of the deadlocks facing the EU... Viktor Orban maintained his position as the European Council meets on December 14 and 15. The 27 (EU) countries plan to resolve acute issues: financial support for Ukraine in the coming years and specification of the start of accession negotiations. On these two points, Viktor Orban remains categorical: no!" - the newspaper pointed out.