German Chancellor Olaf Scholz refused to disclose how the breakfast with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and other leaders went, saying that the talks should remain confidential. Nevertheless, Scholz emphasized his belief that Orban should abandon his veto on the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, UNN writes with reference to Politico.
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According to The Guardian, Scholz said he was "absolutely convinced" that enlargement is "a necessary discussion here in Europe."
"It is important for us that we now set a course that will move the accession process forward here in Europe and that this is also supported by the countries," the chancellor said, adding that this also applies to negotiations with Moldova and the Western Balkans.
"We have to make progress in the accession processes that we have. (...) It is a decision of the European Union that we are ready to discuss enlargement with the Western Balkan states, discussions with Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia," The Guardian quoted Scholz as saying.
Moving on to the equally difficult EU budget negotiations, Scholz, who just concluded a budget deal in Germany on Wednesday after weeks of difficult negotiations, joked that "I know my way around" budget talks. According to him, the EU has to save money and cannot decide on "very large additional spending," but must provide defense assistance to Ukraine.
To recap,
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban showed no signs of being ready to compromise on Ukraine's EU accession when he arrived at the summit on Thursday morning.