The National Assembly of Hungary adopted a series of resolutions pertaining to Ukraine and the European Union on Tuesday, 10 March.
With 142 MPs voting in favour, 28 against, and four abstaining, the legislative body formally expressed its opposition to Ukraine’s accession to the EU, continued EU war aid to Ukraine, efforts to transform the EU into a military alliance, and efforts by the Union that threaten the sovereignty of Member States.
The resolution states that European Union leaders have repeatedly made decisions that increase the risk of escalation and bring Europe closer to war.
It also argues that Hungary opposes Ukraine’s EU membership because the country is currently at war, and its accession would effectively make the European Union a belligerent party to the conflict. According to the resolution, Ukraine does not meet the criteria for EU membership. It therefore calls on the Hungarian government not to support the substantive launch of Ukraine’s accession negotiations or its eventual membership in the Union.
The legislative text also directs the government to support international peace efforts, refrain from sending money or weapons to Ukraine, and do everything possible to prevent Hungary or the European Union from becoming directly involved in the Russo–Ukrainian war.
The resolution further notes that since the outbreak of the war, the EU has provided €193.3 billion in aid to Ukraine—nearly three times the net EU funding received by Hungary since 2004. It also states that the EU—with the exceptions of Hungary, Czechia, and Slovakia—is planning to provide Ukraine with an additional €90 billion in loans between 2026 and 2027, which Ukraine would only be expected to repay in case post-war Russian reparations are paid to them.
‘The resolution notes that since the outbreak of the war, the EU has provided €193.3 billion in aid to Ukraine—nearly three times the net EU funding received by Hungary since 2004’
The resolution also warns that Ukraine’s share of the EU’s next seven-year budget could exceed €360 billion, and that the European Commission’s draft budget would finance this partly by reducing cohesion funds and agricultural subsidies. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s reconstruction plan is estimated to cost $800 billion over the next decade, with an additional $700 billion projected for military spending.
According to the resolution, financing these plans could cost every Hungarian family nearly 1.4 million forints.
The legislative text calls on the government to take all necessary steps to oppose the EU’s policy of continuing war support for Ukraine; to prevent Hungarian funds or EU funds allocated to Hungary from being transferred to Ukraine; and to reject any EU budget that would redirect a significant portion of support intended for Hungarian farmers and the Hungarian economy to Ukraine.
It also notes that efforts to transform the EU into a military alliance are gaining momentum within the bloc and calls on the government to act against such initiatives. The National Assembly further rejects what it describes as attempts by EU institutions to circumvent the requirement for unanimous decision-making.
These developments come amid escalating tensions between Budapest and Kyiv.
The Hungarian government has accused Ukraine of refusing to restart the Druzhba oil pipeline in an effort to pressure Budapest into dropping its opposition to Ukraine’s EU membership and further EU aid. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly threatened to reveal Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary’s address to Ukrainian armed forces. In further escalation, Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) seized more than $40 million worth of cash and gold bars being transported across the country by Ukrainian nationals.
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