Hungary’s election winner Péter Magyar has said he does not support Ukraine’s fast-track entry to the European Union and will uphold an opt-out allowing Hungary to avoid contributing to a €90 billion EU loan for Kyiv.
Magyar, who ended Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule with a landslide victory on Sunday (12 April), told a press conference in Budapest he could not see Ukraine joining the bloc within the next decade. He said he favours “pragmatic ties” with Moscow while criticising Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“It would be impossible for a country at war to be taken by the EU. All accession countries have to go through the same process,” he said, stressing that he does not see Ukraine’s accession coming “in the next ten years.”
He added that Budapest should retain its 2025 opt-out, allowing it not to contribute funds towards the loan for Ukraine, because Hungary “is in a very difficult financial situation.”
Magyar, who campaigned on improving relations with the EU and tackling corruption in the central European country of 9.6 million people, said he would urge Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine if they were to speak.
Outgoing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had steered Hungary away from the EU mainstream while maintaining warm ties with Russia despite the war in Ukraine. He repeatedly clashed with Brussels over rule of law and human rights concerns, leading to the freezing of billions of euros in EU funds.
Magyar said he would neither call Russian President Vladimir Putin nor U.S. President Donald Trump following his victory, but reaffirmed Washington’s role as an important partner while describing Moscow as a security threat.
"Hungarian people yesterday, exactly 23 years after the referendum about our EU membership, confirmed Hungary's place in Europe," he added.
While affirming support for Ukraine, he said the restoration of ethnic Hungarian minority rights would be a precondition for rebuilding ties with Kyiv.
Closer to home, Magyar pledged to amend Hungary’s constitution and introduce anti-corruption measures in a drive to restore democratic standards and unlock frozen EU funding.
Among the measures he outlined were a two-term limit for prime ministers - which would prevent Orbán from running again - a review of all public procurement contracts worth more than 10 billion forints ($32.2 million), and the launch of an anti-corruption office by June.
"We will do everything to restore the rule of law, plural democracy, and the system of checks and balances," he said.
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