Hungary's Orban to meet Macron ahead of EU summit

[December 05, 2023]  BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday, his press chief said, ahead of an EU summit at which talks on Ukraine's joining the bloc and financial aid for Kyiv will meet resistance from Orban. 

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban before a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

Orban on Monday demanded that the leaders' summit avoid taking any decision on giving Ukraine the green light for membership talks and deciding a budget plan that includes 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in economic support for Kyiv.

Orban, who has maintained ties with Moscow even as the EU has imposed sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, is at odds with the EU's executive body on his stance.

Any decision on accession talks requires the unanimous support of EU leaders.

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(Reporting by Krisztina Than and Michel Rose; Editing by Alex Richardson and Angus MacSwan)

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