Hungary's Parliament adopts resolution rejecting Ukraine's EU membership
The Hungarian National Assembly adopted a resolution rejecting Ukraine's membership in the European Union, further funding of military support for Kyiv, and efforts to transform the EU into a military alliance.
According to Ukrinform, Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovac stated this on the social network X.
The resolution states that Budapest opposes Ukraine's accession to the EU because the country is at war and its membership could risk making the EU a direct party to the conflict. The document calls on the Hungarian government not to support the start of substantive accession negotiations with Ukraine and to oppose its membership in the EU.
Hungarian lawmakers also warned about the financial consequences of continued support for Ukraine, noting that the EU has already provided EUR 193.3 billion in assistance to Kyiv since the beginning of the war and is planning additional loans. According to the resolution, Ukraine's potential share of funding in the next seven-year EU budget could exceed EUR 360 billion, which could come at the expense of funds allocated for agriculture in EU member states.
In addition, the resolution calls on the government to support international peace efforts, avoid sending money or weapons to Ukraine, and prevent both Hungary and the EU from being drawn into the war.
It also calls for resistance to initiatives that would turn the EU into a military alliance and to any attempts by EU institutions to bypass the rule of unanimity in the decision-making process.
As Ukrinform previously reported, on the night of March 6, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that in Budapest the Hungarian authorities had taken seven Ukrainian citizens, employees of Oschadbank, hostage and seized the money they were transporting.
According to him, the seven Oschadbank employees were traveling in two bank vehicles in transit from Austria to Ukraine and were transporting cash as part of regular service between state banks.
Later that day, the Hungarian tax authority confirmed the detention of seven Oschadbank cash collectors and two vehicles carrying cash, stating that it had opened a criminal investigation on suspicion of money laundering.
Later, Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs said that the seven Ukrainian cash collectors detained by Hungarian tax and customs authorities would be expelled from Hungary.
On March 6, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended that Ukrainian citizens refrain from traveling to Hungary amid the abduction of employees and the theft of Oschadbank property in Budapest.