Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is set to discuss the Ukraine conflict with former US President Donald Trump, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said. Budapest believes the Republican presidential frontrunner is potentially the only person who can end the crisis, the diplomat added.
In an interview with RIA Novosti on Wednesday, Szijjarto said Orban and Trump would meet in Florida on March 8. The pair have maintained close ties for years, sharing similar views on border security, illegal immigration, and the Ukraine conflict.
“We would definitely like to discuss with [Trump] how to achieve peace in Ukraine and in the eastern part of Europe,” Szijjarto stated. He argued that if Trump had been elected in 2020 instead of Joe Biden, the Ukraine conflict would not have broken out and the security situation in the Middle East – where Israel is engaged in a war with Hamas – would not be as dire.
Peace in Ukraine is President Trump.
Szijjarto argued that without a Trump victory in the 2024 election, Hungary “sees much less hope for peace in the foreseeable future in Ukraine...” Budapest is fully aware that many EU politicians oppose this view, he noted.
At the same time, the minister stressed that Hungary is not seeking to dictate to American voters which president they should elect, reiterating that it is ready to work with any US administration.
He insisted, however, that experience had shown that US-Hungarian relations were “at an absolute high” under Trump, and that there were no major conflicts during the Republican’s term.
“So, if you ask under whom the world could return to global security and under whom US-Hungarian relations could be improved, then, obviously, it is President Trump,” Szijjarto claimed.
Trump has vowed to settle the Ukraine conflict within just 24 hours if he returns to the Oval Office, claiming he would sit down with both Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky, however, was less than enthusiastic about the idea, describing it as “a little scary” and voicing concern that a potential settlement could undermine Kiev’s interests. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Moscow has had no contact with Trump over Ukraine.