Hungary's Orban to meet Macron ahead of EU summit

FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban before a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday, his press chief said, ahead of an EU summit at which talks on Ukraine's joining the bloc and financial aid for Kyiv will meet resistance from Orban.

Orban on Monday demanded that the leaders' summit avoid taking any decision on giving Ukraine the green light for membership talks and deciding a budget plan that includes 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in economic support for Kyiv.