Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has strongly criticized the European Union’s plan to speed up the accession of Ukraine, calling this prospect “an open declaration of war” against his country.

According to a Politico report, the European Commission is working on a plan that would allow Kiev’s candidacy to move forward more quickly, even granting it partial membership before all required reforms are completed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for his country to join the Union by 2027, as part of a possible peace deal with Russia.

Orban, who has close ties with Moscow, has consistently opposed Ukraine’s membership. As the same report said, the European Commission and member states are considering alternative ways to override a possible Hungarian veto. These reportedly include lobbying US President Donald Trump or even triggering Article 7 of the EU Treaty, which could lead to the removal of Budapest’s voting rights.

In a post on Platform X on Wednesday, the Hungarian prime minister warned that such a development would constitute an “open declaration of war against Hungary”.

“They have decided that Ukraine will join the Union as early as 2027,” he said, adding that “they ignore the decision of the Hungarian people and are determined to remove the Hungarian government by any means.”

His statements come amid an election climate, as parliamentary elections are held in Hungary in April. Orbán, who has been in power for the past twenty years, appears to be underperforming in the polls, with his party, Fidesz, facing a strengthened opposition that has pledged to fight corruption and restore the rule of law.