Hungary's premier hits back at Irish counterpart over Ukraine veto criticism

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday strongly reacted to criticism from his Irish counterpart Micheal Martin, who had called Hungary’s repeated Ukraine vetoes in the EU "outrageous" and urged Brussels to take action.

In a post on X, Orban rebuked Martin for what he described as siding with "an empire instead of national sovereignty."

"We Hungarians have always regarded Irish patriots as champions of freedom and national independence. For us, Ireland is a symbol of liberty and sovereignty. For this reason, it is always disheartening when we see that an Irish patriot chooses to stand on the side of an empire," Orban wrote.

Orban’s remarks came after Martin gave an exclusive interview to Euronews in which he accused Hungary of "unreasonably exploiting" the EU veto mechanism to block key decisions, including Ukraine’s accession process.

"We’ve always accepted unanimity on certain aspects, but we think it’s being abused. The European Union will not become workable if that abuse continues," Martin said, warning that member states were running out of patience.

He also reiterated his country’s strong support for Ukraine’s EU membership, describing it as "essential for geopolitical reasons."

"Ireland has been a very strong advocate for Ukrainian accession to the European Union," he said, expressing frustration that Hungary was stalling progress on enlargement.

Orban has consistently opposed Ukraine’s EU membership under current conditions, claiming it would financially strain the bloc. He has also insisted that Hungary will not support the move unless its concerns are addressed.