Orbán says Hungary will block EU membership negotiations for Ukraine at a crucial summit this week

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s prime minister says his government will block a proposal to start talks on European Union membership for Ukraine at a summit of the bloc’s leaders this week. Speaking to lawmakers in Hungary’s parliament Wednesday, Viktor Orbán said that the time for bringing Ukraine into the EU had “not yet come,” and that the development of a strategic partnership with Kyiv should be a prerequisite for beginning membership talks. Hungary’s position has frustrated EU leaders, who are are expected to vote on whether to begin talks on Ukraine’s accession during a summit in Brussels that begins Thursday. Hungary has also signaled that it will veto a financial aid package for Kyiv worth 50 billion euros.