Frederiksen responds sharply to Orbán's proposal to offer Ukraine partnership: I not to let one country decide EU's future
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded sharply to the proposal of her Hungarian colleague Viktor Orbán to offer Ukraine a strategic partnership instead of membership: "I will not let one country to take decisions upon the entire European future."
This is how she answered journalists' questions about this idea on Thursday in Copenhagen at a press conference held after the conclusion of the European Political Community summit. "I will not allow one country, and I will certainly not allow each of them to take decisions upon the entire European future," Frederiksen said.
The Danish Prime Minister expressed the view that the member states of the European Union must adhere to a strategy, part of which involves enlargement. She argued that this was a question for the entire EU and, in fact, for the whole European continent, and that building the strongest possible Europe meant pursuing EU enlargement. According to Frederiksen, there was European unity because 26 countries agreed that Ukraine, Moldova, and other countries should join the EU.
At the same time, she noted that Ukraine was doing an amazing job despite being in a state of war. She emphasized that Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's proposal should not derail the strategy and that efforts should continue to find a solution with Hungary, while still sticking to the overall strategy.
Frederiksen acknowledged that a decision on EU enlargement requires the unanimous agreement of all 27 member states. However, she stressed that much could still be accomplished even if Orbán could not be convinced to open the first cluster. She pointed out that there were numerous issues that needed to be resolved, changed, and decided before Ukraine could actually join the EU, as had been the case for all candidate countries and countries that joined historically. She added that, if Orbán could not be persuaded, work should continue between Ukraine and the European Commission to address all outstanding issues, including finding ways to finance necessary steps.
Regarding the topic of reparations loans for Ukraine based on immobilized Russian assets, Frederiksen said that the previous day's discussion at the informal European Council meeting had been difficult but very fruitful. She noted that some technical questions needed to be raised and answered, but expressed confidence that a solution could be found. She stated that it was fair for Russia to pay for the damage it had caused to Ukraine and Europe and indicated that no other proposals existed within the EU apart from this one. Frederiksen explained that, starting from the previous day's meeting and until the next Council meeting, efforts would focus on resolving all technical questions and problems, after which a decision could be made. She acknowledged that the Belgian government found the issue very difficult, but expressed hope and belief that a solution could be found that would be supported by all 27 countries.