The fate of talks on Ukraine's EU accession hangs in the balance as Hungary rejects mounting pressure to give approval. Viktor Orbán's threat to veto the negotiations' launch is taken seriously, prompting Ukraine's foreign minister to warn of "devastating consequences" if talks are hindered.
The upcoming meeting of the 27 EU leaders on Thursday and Friday is overshadowed by a grim atmosphere in Brussels, where Orbán, Hungary's prime minister, known for his close ties to Vladimir Putin, asserts his intention to block EU enlargement decisions and potentially cut financial support to Ukraine.
At the inauguration of Argentina's new president, Orbán and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shared a brief and apparently intense exchange on Sunday. In a bold move last week, Orbán publicly labeled Ukraine as "one of the most corrupt countries in the world," following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, who had attempted to dissuade him from vetoing EU enlargement talks.
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