Hungary reaffirmed its opposition on Wednesday to plans to advance Ukraine's bid to join the European Union, setting the stage for a clash at an EU leaders' summit this week, Paralel.Az reports citing Reuters.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban told the national parliament that fast-track accession to the EU for neighbouring Ukraine would not serve the interests of Hungary or the EU.

"Considering the numbers, economic analyses and taking it seriously that talks (with Ukraine) would aim to grant membership ... then we must say that this thought at the moment is absurd, ridiculous and not serious," Orban said.

His comments contrasted sharply with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who urged the 27-member bloc to support Ukraine for "as long as it takes".

Orban has threatened to veto proposals to allow Kyiv to start accession talks and to receive substantial financial and military aid from the EU budget.

The European Commission, the EU executive, has proposed that this week's summit take a decision to start EU membership talks with Ukraine once it meets four outstanding conditions set out previously. It has suggested this could happen in March.

Von der Leyen said laws Ukraine passed last week -- including on national minorities, an issue raised by Hungary -- cleared three of the remaining tasks, meaning only one was missing: a new lobbying law to rein in oligarchs.

Orban, who says the rights of tens of thousands of his ethnic kin living in western Ukraine are being denied, disputed this interpretation.

Budapest is studying the new law passed by Ukraine on minorities, but it will not guarantee the same rights that Hungarians living in Ukraine enjoyed until 2015, he said.

Orban said the potential consequences of Ukraine's EU membership on the bloc's budget had not been assessed, and cited German estimates that full-fledged membership would bring 190 billion euros of extra spending from the EU's seven-year budget.

The Commission is meanwhile expected to unlock Hungary's access to 10 billion euros this week that had previously been frozen over concerns Budapest had damaged democratic checks and balances in the country.