Zelenskyy: 70% of Hungarians support Ukraine's EU accession, don't drag us into your elections
An overwhelming majority of Hungarian citizens support Ukraine's accession to the European Union, despite the stance of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who initiated a public opinion survey in the country on the matter, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
"By the way, Orbán's opposition organized an open survey for all Hungarians. Seventy percent support Ukraine joining the EU. So, the people of Hungary are with us. You know he conducted his own survey – supposedly showing people were against it. He controlled that poll. But there's another poll, and it shows 70% in favor of Ukraine," Zelenskyy said during a conversation with journalists.
The President expressed his belief that this is a matter of internal political struggle in Hungary.
"Just don't drag us into your elections. That's what he [Orbán] is doing – by blocking us in the EU. In the end, this strategy won't be a winning one. Why? Because, ultimately, the people there support Ukraine. No matter how much he tries to manipulate public opinion. He may sway a portion, but you can't keep winning purely by spreading hate," Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy also warned that Orbán is engaging in "very dangerous actions." "We see it, and we're watching closely. We're communicating with our other partners and signaling that what he's doing is dangerous for the European Union. He may be opposed, but taking steps to block our accession – he has no right to do that. Because that's the sovereign choice of another country. Just as we have no right to interfere in Hungary's affairs," the President said.
He reported that Ukraine is continuing to meet the necessary criteria for European integration and plans to have three technical clusters ready by mid-summer. "Yesterday, we had a report from Stefanishyna [Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration]. She told me that we expect to be technically ready by July 1. We believe we'll receive support from everyone – except one specific country. Stefanishyna has been in talks in Hungary – our team visited, they've been engaging. There are no results yet," Zelenskyy said.
"If Orbán is tying the NATO issue to his vision of how the war should end – well, I've always said that's not what this is about. He's just operating the way he always does," the President added.
