Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced the results of a consultative referendum concerning the possible accession of Ukraine to the European Union. Over 2 million Hungarians participated in the vote, of whom 95% opposed Ukraine’s membership in the EU. Orbán shared this information on his Facebook page.

He thanked everyone who took part in the referendum, stating:

“Today, on behalf of more than two million Hungarians, I will say at the hearings that Hungary does not support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.”

– Viktor Orbán

The total population of Hungary exceeds 9.5 million people. During the 2024 European Parliament elections, 7.8 million voters were registered. The referendum saw participation from 29% of the total registered voters.

The referendum lasted 2.5 months – from April until June 20, 2025. Voting took place both at special polling stations and online. To participate in the online vote, identity confirmation via email was required. Orbán’s government noted that only 10% of Hungarians took advantage of the opportunity to vote online.

The leader of the opposition party “Tisza,” Péter Magyar, expressed doubts about the official figures, claiming that in reality only about 600,000 Hungarians participated in the referendum. He also emphasized that the figure of 2 million votes matches the number of voters for Orbán’s “Fidesz” party.

At the beginning of June, the Hungarian government launched propaganda videos as part of “national consultations,” claiming that the Ukrainian mafia is involved in arms and drug trafficking, and that Ukraine’s accession to the EU would allegedly allow this mafia to enter Hungary without hindrance. The videos also mention Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Hungary’s Blocking of Ukraine’s EU Accession

Since early 2025, Hungary has been blocking the opening of negotiation clusters regarding Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. The country’s government argues that Ukraine’s membership in the EU would be a burden both for the bloc and for Hungary itself.

Ukraine’s Minister of Justice, Olena Stefanishyna, reported that since May 12, Kyiv and Budapest have agreed to hold regular consultations to unblock the negotiation process.

However, on May 11, Hungary postponed negotiations with Ukraine on national minorities, which were scheduled for May 12, citing accusations from Kyiv of espionage against Budapest.

Although the consultative referendum in Hungary is not legally binding for the government, authorities actively urged citizens to oppose Ukraine’s EU accession by sending out relevant letters and spreading information about alleged threats to the country.