Hungary's parliament passes resolution against Ukraine's EU bid
The Hungarian parliament on March 10 voted in support of a resolution opposing Ukraine's EU accession and continued European assistance to the war-torn country.
Lawmakers urged Hungary's government to "avoid sending money or weapons to Ukraine" and instead support "international peace efforts," Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs said.
The measure, backed by 142 lawmakers, with 28 voting against and four abstaining, comes amid surging tensions between Kyiv and Budapest and just a month before pivotal Hungarian parliamentary elections.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose Fidesz-KDNP Party Alliance holds 135 seats in parliament, has staunchly opposed Ukraine's entry into the EU.
"The resolution states that Ukraine's accession to the EU is opposed because the country is at war, and its admission would risk making the European Union a direct party to the conflict," Kovacs said on X.
Ukraine was granted EU candidate status in 2022 in the wake of Russia's all-out invasion, but Budapest has so far blocked the opening of the first accession clusters.
Hungarian lawmakers also warned that further EU aid to Ukraine would come at the cost of cohesion and agricultural financing for member states.
The resolution urged the government to "prevent both Hungary and the EU from being drawn into the war," echoing Orban's long-standing narrative that Western military support for Ukraine is thwarting a peaceful resolution.
The MPs further warned against "initiatives that would transform the EU into a military alliance" and efforts to bypass unanimity in EU decision-making.
Budapest is currently blocking the EU's 20th package of sanctions against Moscow and a 90-billion-euro ($105-billion) loan for Kyiv in connection with the halt of oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline.
The route, which had been funneling Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia via Ukrainian territory, went offline in late January due to a Russian strike in western Ukraine, Kyiv said.
Bratislava and Budapest have accused Ukraine of intentionally withholding supplies.
Hungarian-Ukrainian tensions escalated further last week after Hungary seized two Ukrainian bank vehicles carrying more than $80 million in cash and gold and expelled seven bank employees on suspicion of money laundering activities. Kyiv has denounced the move as "state terrorism."
