Hungarian minister describes starting talks on Kyiv's accession to EU as irresponsible

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó has said that the possible beginning of negotiations with Ukraine on EU membership at this stage would be an irresponsible step.

“From a European point of view, it would be absolutely irresponsible to begin negotiations on Ukraine’s accession. We would like to make it clear that we reject this approach,” he said, TASS reports.

He emphasised that the European Commission’s statements about Kyiv fulfilling several points necessary for membership “do not correspond to reality”.

Before starting negotiations, it is necessary to analyse the consequences of Ukraine's accession to the EU, Szijjártó noted.

“We stand for holding strategic debates on how closer cooperation between the EU and Ukraine can benefit all countries,” he added.