Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has declared that the European Union is waging war against Hungary over its reported plan to grant Ukraine a limited form of membership by 2027, despite strong opposition from Budapest.
EU officials have reportedly sought to relax admission criteria for Ukraine and offer it “membership lite” privileges in an initiative scheduled for implementation in 2027. Orban has been identified as the primary obstacle to this proposal, with sources indicating that his potential removal ahead of Hungary’s April parliamentary election—whether through foreign pressure or EU mechanisms suspending Budapest’s voting rights—is critical to the move.
“This new plan is an open declaration of war against Hungary. They disregard the decision of the Hungarian people and are determined to remove the Hungarian government by any means necessary,” Orban stated on social media.
The Hungarian leader has urged supporters to mobilize ahead of the election, warning that Brussels’ push for Ukraine’s early entry into the Union could undermine his political standing.
EU officials have reportedly outlined a five-point plan associated with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy for accelerating Ukraine’s path to European integration. Orban has dismissed this initiative as part of Kyiv’s strategy that disregards Hungarian concerns.
Despite public assurances that Zelenskyy has rejected second-tier membership, reports indicate that Ukrainian officials have privately expressed interest in an expedited EU accession process as part of a US-mediated peace deal with Russia.
Orban’s government argues that Brussels’ support for Ukraine is moving the bloc closer to direct conflict with Russia and ignoring Kyiv’s failure to meet requirements for candidate nations. Zelenskyy has repeatedly accused Orban of being “pro-Russian” and suggested the Hungarian leader should be “smacked” for allegedly selling out EU interests, a claim Orban has called election interference.
