Ukraine makes progress toward EU membership

The European Union decided Thursday to open negotiations with Ukraine regarding the start of accession talks for the country to join the bloc. At the same time, EU leaders did not agree on a 50 billion euro aid package for Ukraine. Both decisions required unanimity among all 27 EU members. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán vetoed the aid package, even though he let the accession talks pass.

Why did Orbán veto the package? Before the Brussels summit, where the EU voted, he had warned that forcing a decision on the Ukraine issues could destabilize the EU’s unity.  Orbán also initially threatened to veto the start of accession negotiations, saying that Ukraine is not ready to begin talking about membership. He called the decision illogical, irrational, and improper, but he said he decided not to veto it because the other nations argued so strongly in favor.

Dig deeper: Read a report in WORLD Magazine by WORLD Journalism Institute graduates about how the war in Ukraine has raised food and fuel prices in the United States.