Hungary's Orbán Threatens to Block Ukraine's EU Accession Bid

Orbán's opposition comes despite the European Commission's recommendation to begin formal EU membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.

Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, is opposing Ukraine's bid to begin European Union accession negotiations, threatening to block the decision at an upcoming EU leaders' summit.
Orbán, known as the EU's most pro-Russian leader, has sent a letter to the European Council president, Charles Michel, demanding to take the issue off the agenda at the leaders' meeting.
The European Commission recommended in November that formal EU membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova should begin, a decision described as a response to 'the call of history'.
Orbán has been at odds with Brussels over various issues, including democratic backsliding and the erosion of judicial independence in Hungary, which led to the freezing of tens of billions of euros of funding for Budapest.
Orbán will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday, ahead of the summit, to discuss the issue of European support for Ukraine as well as the Israel-Palestinian conflict.