Orbán is wrong to oppose Ukraine's path to EU membership – Ukraine's deputy PM

Taras Kachka, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, has said that the main reason Budapest is blocking Ukraine's progress towards EU membership is not the issue of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine: it is Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's political stance, for which there is no support from the Hungarian public.

Source: European Pravda, citing Kachka at the Re:Open Zakarpattia forum

Details: Kachka said the Hungarian government's demands with regard to education do not amount to a systemic issue.

Quote: "They consist of a few targeted proposals and concerns that in no way change our approach to education or to our language policy in education. So it's obviously easy for us to discuss them – they aren't the kind of issues that would roll back our education reforms or our language policy."

More details: According to Kachka, there are no major problems that could be "blown up into something enormous", and the process has "a perfectly normal working dynamic".

Quote: "But there is clearly a big political question being set by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. I think we should focus on him personally and on what he has been declaring during the parliamentary election campaign in Hungary, namely that he does not see Ukraine as having a future in the EU."

More details: Kachka went on to say that Orbán's position is mistaken.

Quote: "First of all, the 26 EU member states see Ukraine in the European Union, the European institutions see it there, and a significant part of the Hungarian public sees it there. So it's clear that Prime Minister Orbán's position is wrong… When we read in the press about how the election campaign is going in Hungary right now, we can see that this does not resonate with the Hungarian public."

More details: Kachka believes that Hungary should approve the opening of negotiating clusters and allow Ukraine to meet all the conditions while also debating the terms of the future agreement between Ukraine and the EU.

Quote: "If Prime Minister Orbán has alternatives [to suggest], he is welcome to table them. We disagree with them. No one agrees with them, but we are willing to try to convince him."

More details: Kachka said he believes it will be possible to persuade Orbán sooner or later and unblock the negotiating process.

Quote: "Ultimately, Ukraine's integration into the European Union is the best way to protect the rights of Hungarian communities in Ukraine and support their development, and Budapest understands this."

Background:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said recently that Budapest's obstruction of Ukraine's EU aspirations constitutes support for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
• Orbán replied by complaining about Zelenskyy's "ingratitude" for Hungary's assistance.

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