The European Union should not begin accession talks with Ukraine, because the military conflict there continues and Russian troops are on its territory, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told the HIRTV television, Paralel.Az reports.

"We are talking about a country with Russian soldiers on its territory. Are we going to accept them [into the EU] as well?" he asked rhetorically.

He added that neither Ukraine’s territory nor its population can be determined with certainty at this point, and, in this regard, the consequences of its accession appear to be unpredictable.

Orban added that he opposed the start of accession talks with Kiev during the EU summit in Brussels on December 14-15, but could not persuade the remaining 26 EU leaders to change their mind.