Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was increasingly isolated at the informal EU summit in Copenhagen, his sharply critical stance on the idea of financing aid to Ukraine from frozen Russian assets contrasting with the positions of fellow EU leaders. 

At the summit, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever urged EU leaders to guarantee that they will jointly bear the risks of using frozen Russian assets, most of which are held in Belgium, to finance loans for Ukraine.

All leaders except Orban backed in principle a plan to tap some €140bn in immobilised Russian central bank reserves for Kyiv but warned legal and financial obstacles remain. International law bars outright confiscation of sovereign assets, meaning the EU must both recognise Moscow's claims and shield Belgium against potential retaliation.

On the issue, Orban asserted that "if this money belongs to somebody else, Hungary will never touch it”.

Hungary's veteran leader, accused of blocking EU unity in the war and siding with Russia in the conflict, came under open pressure from the host. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that she will not allow any single country and "certainly not Viktor Orban" to decide Europe's future, speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Frederiksen rejected proposals to keep Ukraine outside the EU whilst granting it a strategic partnership put forward by the Hungarian leader, saying there can be no compromise on full membership.

At the televised press conference, the Ukrainian leader said Orban was blocking Ukraine's path to the EU linked to the election campaign, saying Ukraine's EU membership is the will of the Ukrainian people and a decision for Europe to make.

Speaking to journalists, Orban confirmed his opposition to Ukraine membership, saying should the country be integrated into the bloc, it would "bring the war into the alliance, if they enter the EU, we become warring parties".

He added that linking the fate of Hungarians to Ukrainians through membership "is dangerous for us; it will only cause us trouble. We will only lose, it isn't good."

Hungary, he said, advocates a "peace plan" based on negotiations between the EU and Russia, rather than what he called "a minority position" of fighting on as America's junior partner. He rejected Ukraine's EU and Nato membership ambitions, warning that integration would "drag Europe into the war" and divert resources from economic renewal.

Orban also acknowledged tensions with his Croatian counterpart and said that the parties agreed to "cool down the spirits".

The prime minister said the meeting with Croatian PM Andrej Plenkovic amounted to "de-escalation talks". Earlier, Orban said he had had a "serious debate" with Plenkovic, who had said Hungary could replace Russian oil with oil bought through the Adria pipeline running through Croatia. He said tensions had been running high between Hungary and Croatia lately.

The Hungarian leader also had a clash of words with Polish PM Donald Tusk. On X, Tusk commented on Orban's claim about a "Brussels war plan" to help Ukraine defeat Russia, saying that "Russia started the war against Ukraine. In such times, the only question is whose side you're on?" 

Orban responded: "Russia is at war. Ukraine is at war. Hungary is not. I understand you stand on Ukraine's side. Please understand we stand on Hungary's side."