"Leaders in Brussels aim to integrate the neighbouring country as a member state within the next one to two years," Viktor Orban told a regular interview with Kossuth radio’s morning programme.

"Every member state, except Hungary, supports continuing the war because there is still a pro-war majority ruling in Brussels," Orban said, adding that "European leaders have decided that Ukraine must continue fighting the war and will in turn receive a fast-track membership.

"But this will ruin us," he said and emphasised that the consequences of neighbouring Ukraine’s accession are "far more obvious, direct and fast".

Under the EU’s basic charter the integration of a state as a new member must be approved by all member states, the prime minister said, adding that for this reason, "Hungary has a decisive role" in the matter.

Szijjarto: Ukraine's accession to EU before Western Balkans 'impossible'

"It is impossible" that Ukrainse should join the European Union before the Western Balkans states as that would be contrary to a merit-based process, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said in a panel discussion of the Budapest Balkans Forum.

Peter Szijjarto told the forum that "while the community is in a terrible state economically as well as regarding security," the region's states have been waiting for accession for 14.5 years on average.

He slammed the "hypocrisy of certain member states, which talk very differently in public from what they say behind closed doors". "When they speak publicly, they are always positive about the enlargement ... but when we come together, the 27 of us behind closed doors, then we who support the enlargement find ourselves in the minority," he said.

"When it comes to the point, when we must talk about real issues rather than propaganda ... then the majority of member states opposes enlargement," he said.

"We mustn't shame and humiliate the countries of the Western Balkans, and misleading them is tantamount to humiliation," Szijjarto said.

Szijjarto highlighted the importance of a merit-based accession process, and said that must be applied to all applicants. "Ukraine is hardly better prepared for accession than the countries of the Western Balkans."

"If we equate merit with whether a country is in war or not, that should be said openly," he added.

The accession of the Western Balkans states would strengthen the bloc significantly, he said, adding that the EU was in dire need of such a boost as the US and China had left it behind in the global economy.

He said the main cause was that the European Commission had failed to take measures to counter protectionist measures from the US in good time. "We have known since November that Donald Trump is the new president of the US ... We knew he wanted to introduce tariffs ... and now we are surprised that exactly that happened."

"Why did the EC not act proactively and set up a coordination platform? We were observing events from the trenches. This is not the right approach," Szijjarto said.

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