Hungarian PM Orbán Vows to Block Ukraine’s NATO and EU Membership After 95% Referendum Opposition, Warns of World War III

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has reiterated his opposition to Ukraine's membership in both NATO and the European Union during and after the NATO summit in The Hague. He emphasized that neither Ukraine nor Russia are NATO members and stated his commitment to maintaining this status quo, arguing that NATO has no business in Ukraine. Orbán further warned that Ukraine's accession to NATO could trigger an immediate military conflict with Russia, potentially escalating to World War III. Regarding the EU, Orbán cited a national referendum, the Voks2025 consultation, in which the Hungarian government reported that 95% of over 2.2 million participants opposed Ukraine's EU membership.

He characterized Ukraine's integration into the EU as integrating war into Europe, posing a threat to the bloc's stability. The referendum's legitimacy and turnout have been questioned by critics, and Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned it as manipulative anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Orbán also expressed skepticism about Ukraine's current borders and identity, and criticized the EU's approach as reckless and driven by a militant perspective. He vowed to continue vetoing Ukraine's accession to both NATO and the EU to prevent what he described as the transformation of Europe into a battlefield.