Behind the scenes of the historic summit in Brussels: The decisive vote for Moldova and Ukraine was given by the EU leaders when Viktor Orban left the room. Only 26 states voted, without Hungary

According to G4Media sources, the vote to approve the start of accession negotiations for the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to the European Union took place on Thursday evening, after heated debates.

Viktor Orban, the Hungarian leader who publicly opposed the accession, left the room before the vote, so he did not vote at all. Viktor Orban knew that this vote was coming, it was not an idea of the representatives of the other states to vote at that moment, but a mutual understanding, say G4Media sources.

There were a total of 26 votes in favor, the unanimity of those who were at the table at that moment.

This behavior comes after weeks of speculation in which Orban said that Ukraine is not ready for accession.

Upon arriving at the Brussels summit, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told reporters that there had been many discussions and that Hungary’s position is clear: regarding EU accession, the preconditions for Ukraine have not been met, the Council is not in a position to make a decision – and Hungary will not yield.

At the same time, the European Commission announced on Wednesday that it is unlocking 10 billion euros intended for Hungary – approximately a third of the total amount currently suspended due to a series of rule of law issues.

The decision came in an increasingly tense political context, as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán intensifies his opposition campaign to prevent the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine, to block a special 50 billion euro fund to support the budget of the war-torn nation, and to stop the granting of new military aid.