Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on June 22 that the European Union should offer quicker membership to Bosnia-Herzegovina and other Western Balkans countries and should channel more funds to the region, not only to war-torn Ukraine. Orban, speaking during an official trip to Bosnia, said membership should be granted to the region's countries "no matter what they say in Brussels," adding that "the money cannot only be directed toward Ukraine." Orban has been at odds with the EU over Hungary's strengthening of ties with Russia and China and what Brussels sees as backsliding on democracy and freedoms. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.
Hungary's Orban Calls For More EU Money For Western Balkans, Not Only Ukraine
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) shakes hands with Borjana Kristo, Chairwoman of Bosnia's Council of Ministers, in Sarajevo on June 22.