The country’s representative in the EU, Balint Odor, said that Budapest “will closely monitor the development of events and include in the agenda all necessary aspects as necessary,” including the situation in Ukraine.
The main priorities of Hungary in its role as the head of the EU Council will be support competitiveness of the European Union, development of economic relations with third countries, easing of the administrative burden, defense policy and cooperation in the field of arms procurement.
At the same time, regarding the conflict in the east of Ukraine, Hungary declared its readiness to closely monitor the development of events and include all necessary aspects in the agenda. However, no specific statements were made regarding Kyiv’s support. This may indicate a possible weakening of EU support for Ukraine under the Hungarian leadership, which is a sign of new challenges for the EU’s common foreign policy.
The priorities of Hungary as chairman of the Council of the EU also include increasing the competitiveness of the European Union, developing economic ties with third countries, simplifying administrative procedures, strengthening defense policy and cooperation in the field of defense procurement. These steps are planned to be implemented within the next six months under Hungarian leadership.
According to recent reports, Hungary does not consider the conflict in eastern Ukraine to be its main priority, which could lead to a weakening of support for Ukraine from the Hungarian-led EU. Earlier, Prime Minister Viktor Orban criticized Western leaders who support a military solution to the conflict with Russia.
