Zelensky Says Ukraine Will Join EU ‘With or Without Orbán’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s progress to European Union membership will continue regardless of opposition from Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister.

The Hungarian government, to the frustration of other EU capitals and Kyiv, has been a steadfast opponent of Ukrainian membership of the bloc, citing several concerns such as the alleged discriminatory policies targeting the country’s Hungarian minority and fears of being drawn into the war. 

Speaking at a joint press conference with Dick Schoof, the Dutch prime minister, in Kyiv, Zelensky told reporters that Ukraine’s place in the EU was “the choice of the Ukrainian people,” not of any foreign leader.” 

“Ukraine will be in the European Union, with or without Orbán, because this is the choice of the people of Ukraine,” Zelensky said, as quoted by Ukraine’s state news agency Ukrinform. He added that he believed “the people of Hungary support Ukraine in any case.” 

The Ukrainian president also hinted that EU member states could seek procedural changes to bypass Hungary’s veto on enlargement decisions. 

“Changing the procedure is called finding a way without Hungary,” he said. 

Budapest answers 

Budapest quickly pushed back. Orbán accused Zelensky of trying to “decide what’s best for Hungarians” and of using “moral blackmail” to pressure the EU into accepting Ukraine’s membership bid. 

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“Hungary has no moral obligation to support Ukraine’s EU accession. No country has ever blackmailed its way into the European Union — and it won’t happen this time either,” Orbán wrote on X. 

He added that Hungarian citizens had “overwhelmingly said ‘no’ to Ukraine’s EU membership in a referendum,” and that decisions on enlargement “require unanimity.” 

Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, echoed the prime minister’s message, saying on X that “deciding which country is ready to join the EU is not up to the President of Ukraine” and that Budapest was acting in line with the “will of the Hungarian people.” 

Accession blocked 

Hungary’s government has been blocking the opening of the first negotiation cluster between Ukraine and the EU since February, citing concerns over Kyiv’s language law. The law, in place for more than a decade, limits the use of minority languages — including Hungarian — in schools and public life in Ukraine’s western Zakarpattia region. 

Although Ukraine’s parliament passed a revised law on national minorities in 2023 to meet Council of Europe standards, Hungary said the changes were insufficient. 

Budapest has also argued that Ukraine’s accession could harm the EU’s economy and security, deepening the divide between the two neighbors as Ukraine continues to push for closer integration with Western institutions.