Orban calls for "mistaken promise" by Brussels to start talks with Ukraine about membership to be "corrected"

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reiterated that his government is against the start of negotiations with Ukraine on its accession to the EU. He said this at the congress of his Fidesz party on Saturday, UNN reports citing Reuters.

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"Correcting the false promise (of Brussels) to start negotiations (with Ukraine on EU membership) will also be our task, as Ukraine is now light years away from the EU," Orban said, adding that he would also "fight back" against EU attempts to resettle migrants in Hungary.

Orban, who is embroiled in a dispute with Brussels over EU funds frozen due to his government's retreat from democracy, said this week that the EU's strategy of sending money and military aid to Ukraine has failed and that he opposes starting membership talks with Kyiv.

The issue of starting accession talks will be on the agenda of next month's EU summit.

Orban also said that Hungary should say "no" to the current European model, adding that the European Union should be changed, not abandoned.

While Hungary is struggling to get out of an inflationary crisis, nationalist Orban this week launched an active campaign for the European Parliament elections to be held next June.

On Friday, his government sent out a survey to its citizens asking whether the EU should allocate more funds to Ukraine or grant it membership.

"We will resist the crazy ideas of Brussels bureaucrats, the invasion of migrants, gender propaganda, and we will resist illusions about the war (in Ukraine) and Ukraine's unprepared membership in the EU," Orban told his party, which has been in power since 2010.

As a reminder, Orban was re-elected as the head of Hungary's ruling party.