Orban Viktor, the young politician who has been Hungarian prime minister since 1998, has always been intriguing when it comes to foreign affairs. Hungary as NATO andMember of the European UnionIt has always maintained an unusual position on issues such as China and Russia. It is worth mentioning that Hungary is the only NATO country that still imports Russian energy, which is unique among European countries. For Ukraine to joinEuropean UnionHungary has always been one of the main opponents of the controversy. Recently, however, the situation has changed somewhat.
Initially, some, including HungaryMember of the European UnionAccession to UkraineEuropean UnionAustria and Slovakia were relatively moderate in favour of the normal procedure and had reservations in the accession negotiations. Hungary, on the other hand, has expressed its unequivocal opposition to Ukraine's accession. Behind this attitude may be the special affection of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban himself, as well as some high-level ***, towards Transcarpathia, which borders Hungary in the western regions of Ukraine. Orban has always maintained a high level of interest in the area, perhaps because of his personal ambitions and interests.
Surprisingly, however, in the most recent oneEuropean UnionAt the meeting, Orban took an "off-the-shelf" approach to Ukraine's accessionEuropean UnionWhen it came time to vote on whether to start negotiations, he actually chose to abstain. This led to a unanimous agreement by all participating countries to start negotiations, and the final resolution was passed without any problems (and the other two countries did not object). Afterwards, Orban said it was because he didn't want to be involved in the "wrong decision" and chose not to vote. However, a discerning person can see that this is actually a change in attitude in Hungary. So, what caused Hungary, or Orban, to change its position? There is only one answer: interests.
InEuropean UnionThe day before the meeting,European UnionIt was announced that it would provide Hungary with a huge amount of bailout funds, amounting to tens of billions of euros. There is reason to believe that it was this amount of money of up to 10 billion euros that finally bought Hungary a sigh of relief in the negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. As Prime Minister of Hungary, Orban certainly wanted to do the best for the country, and he achieved it. Of course, this also caused cheers from the Ukrainian authorities, especially Ukrainian ** Zelensky himself, who called this a victory not only for Ukraine, but for all of Europe. To this end, he addressed the wholeUkrainiansCongratulations.
However, it should be noted that the start of negotiations does not mean that Ukraine has joinedEuropean UnionAnd that's justEuropean UnionIt was agreed to start negotiations. We know that Turkey was in the direction of the country as early as 1987European UnionAn application for accession was made, but it was not until 2005 that accession negotiations were formally launched, and so far inconclusive. It can be seen that Ukraine has successfully begun to joinEuropean Unionof negotiations, but officially becameMember of the European UnionThere is still a long way to go. This negotiation is just a starting point, and there are many difficulties and challenges that Ukraine needs to face.
In short, Hungary's position on Ukraine's accession negotiations has changed, and the reason behind it is the huge amount of money associated with its interests. Orban and Hungary** made a choice for the good of the country, which is a common situation in reality. Whether it is for or against, it is based on the consideration of interests. For Ukraine, the beginning of negotiations is only a starting point, and continued efforts are needed to achieve the ultimate goal. The door to Europe is still far away for Ukraine, but this starting point is undoubtedly a milestone worth celebrating.