Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has warned EU member states in a letter seen by Euronews that President Trump will only act on Ukraine immediately after re-election as US president. Orbán proposed a radical three-point shift in policy towards the conflict, including engaging in high-level political talks with China, reopening direct diplomatic communication with Russia, and launching a coordinated political offensive toward the Global South to regain its support. He shared a summary evaluation of his recent discussions with leaders of Ukraine, Russia, China, Türkiye, and President Donald J. Trump, which he undertook during the first two weeks of Hungary’s EU presidency.
Orbán expressed concerns about the current US political climate and its implications for European foreign policy, especially regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He believes that the military conflict will escalate in the near future and that the EU, the US, and China are the only global players that could influence the developments, with Türkiye playing a key role as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia. Orbán does not foresee any immediate peace initiatives from the US until after the election, but he suggests that Trump, if re-elected, will act as a peace broker immediately after his victory and has detailed plans for this.
Orbán criticized the EU’s strategy for Ukraine, which he sees as a mere replication of US policy and lacking sovereign and independent planning. He proposed discussing the rationality of continuing this policy in the future and recommended that the EU seize the current opportunity to reconsider its approach. He advocated for efforts to decrease tensions, establish conditions for a ceasefire, and potentially initiate peace negotiations. Orbán emphasized the need to create a new chapter in policy with a strong moral and rational basis and highlighted the importance of decreasing tensions and starting peace negotiations in the current situation.
In his letter, Orbán warned EU member states that President Trump will only act on Ukraine immediately after re-election as US president. He proposed radical changes in policy towards the conflict, including engaging in high-level talks with China, reopening direct diplomatic communication with Russia, and launching a coordinated political offensive towards the Global South to regain its support. Orbán expressed concerns about the current US political climate and its impact on European foreign policy, particularly the conflict in Ukraine. He believes that the conflict will escalate soon and that the EU, US, and China are the only players who could influence the developments, with Türkiye playing a mediator role.
Orbán does not expect any peace initiatives from the US until after the election but believes that Trump, if re-elected, will act as a peace broker immediately after his victory with detailed plans. He criticized the EU’s strategy for Ukraine as a mere replication of US policy and lacking independent planning. Orbán proposed that the EU reconsider its approach and advocated for efforts to decrease tensions, establish conditions for a ceasefire, and potentially initiate peace negotiations. He emphasized the need for a strong moral and rational basis for a new chapter in policy, including decreasing tensions and starting peace negotiations in the current situation.
The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán issued a warning to EU member states in a letter, stating that President Trump will only take action on Ukraine after being re-elected as US president. Orbán proposed a significant shift in policy towards the conflict, which includes engaging in high-level political talks with China, reopening direct diplomatic communication with Russia, and launching a coordinated political offensive towards the Global South to regain its support. Orbán expressed concerns about the current US political climate and its potential impact on European foreign policy, specifically regarding the conflict in Ukraine. He believes that the military conflict will escalate soon and that the EU, the US, and China are the only global players capable of influencing the developments, with Türkiye playing a crucial mediator role.
Orbán does not anticipate any immediate peace initiatives from the US until after the election but suggests that Trump, if re-elected, will act as a peace broker immediately after his victory with detailed plans. He criticized the EU’s strategy for Ukraine as merely replicating US policy and lacking in sovereign and independent planning. Orbán proposed that the EU reexamine its approach and urged for efforts to decrease tensions, establish conditions for a ceasefire, and potentially initiate peace negotiations. He emphasized the need for a strong moral and rational basis for a new policy chapter, including efforts to reduce tensions and commence peace negotiations in the current situation.
