It is not a question of yes or no to EU membership. “But we must first examine what the consequences would be if we accept a country at war whose borders are not clear in practice,” said Orbán, whose country will take over the EU Council Presidency on July 1. He also asked about the consequences of the accession of such a huge country for EU agriculture. “Now we are starting negotiations without having any clarity on the matter, that is not good.”

The accession negotiations with Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, are beginning on the sidelines of an EU ministerial meeting in Luxembourg, parallel to similar talks with Moldova, a small neighbour of Ukraine. The negotiating framework was agreed last week, setting out the guidelines and principles for the negotiations. The start of the accession talks had already been decided in principle at an EU summit in December.

How long it will take for a country to join the EU once talks have started is completely unclear. The process can take many years. In theory, a candidate country can never become a member.

For example, it is currently considered impossible for Ukraine to become an EU member before the end of the Russian war of aggression. This is because Kiev could then demand military assistance under Article 42, paragraph 7 of the EU Treaty – and the EU would be a party to the war.