Orban declares 95 percent of Hungarians against Ukraine joining EU
(MENAFN)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced that the vast majority of Hungarians are against Ukraine joining the European Union, citing the results of the Voks 2025 public referendum. The vote, which ran from mid-April to June 20, asked citizens a single question: “Do you support Ukraine’s European Union membership?”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced that the vast majority of Hungarians are against Ukraine joining the European Union, citing the results of the Voks 2025 public referendum. The vote, which ran from mid-April to June 20, asked citizens a single question: “Do you support Ukraine’s European Union membership?”
According to Orban, 95% of the 2,168,431 participants voted "no," while only 5% supported Ukraine’s EU aspirations. Speaking ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Orban declared: “I speak with the voice of over two million Hungarians – Hungary does not support Ukraine’s EU accession. These are the plain facts.”
He stressed that Ukraine’s bid cannot move forward without Hungary’s consent, as unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states is required to begin accession talks. “No legal steps can be taken today regarding Ukraine’s membership because Hungary stands in opposition,” he said.
Ukraine declared EU membership a national priority in 2019 and formally applied to join the bloc in 2022, shortly after the escalation of its conflict with Russia. While it was granted candidate status that year, critics argue Ukraine’s economy and governance structures are not ready, and that its membership would place a massive financial burden on the EU.
Support for Ukraine’s accession has also waned in other countries. A recent Polish poll showed only 35% of citizens still favor Ukraine joining the EU, a sharp drop from 85% in 2022.
Hungary has consistently pushed back against Ukraine joining either the EU or NATO, warning that such steps could provoke further confrontation with Russia and saddle EU taxpayers with the cost of funding Ukraine’s military. Hungarian adviser Balazs Orban previously estimated that full Ukrainian membership could cost the bloc approximately €2.5 trillion—more than 12 times its current budget.
While Russia has strongly opposed Ukraine’s NATO membership, the Kremlin has taken a more cautious approach toward its EU ambitions. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Ukraine has the sovereign right to join if the bloc remains focused on economics, not military alignment. However, Moscow has recently criticized the EU’s increasing militarization, with officials warning the union is becoming more of a military alliance.
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