Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claimed that former US President Donald Trump told him in a meeting that he would “not give a penny” to the war in Ukraine, a statement that Trump’s team did not comment on, according to AFP.
PM Orbán stands out as Moscow’s strongest ally among EU leaders, having wielded his veto power to block EU aid for Ukraine. He has refused to send weapons to Kyiv and remains the sole EU leader maintaining ties with the Kremlin since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Orbán visited Florida on 8 March to meet his “good friend” Trump, expressing frequent hope for the Republican’s return to power.
During his visit to the Hungarian public broadcaster M1 on 10 March evening, Orbán mentioned that he and Trump discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine at their meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
In the interview, Hungarian prime minister praised the Republican front-runner as a “man of peace” who would bring an end to the all-out war in Ukraine, which Russia has been waging since February 2022.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán: Donald Trump will not be giving "a single penny" to fight Russian aggression in Ukraine. That is his idea on how to end the war. pic.twitter.com/twB2EFI3Xc
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) March 11, 2024
“[Trump] has a very clear vision, which is hard not to agree with. He says the following: first of all, he will not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war,” Orbán said, according to AFP. “That is why the war will end, because it is obvious that Ukraine cannot stand on its own feet… If the Americans do not give money, the Europeans alone will not be able to finance this war. And then the war is over,” he added.
When contacted by AFP, Trump’s team did not comment on the matter, and Trump himself has not yet made any public statements regarding the contents of his meeting with Orban.
Earlier, the former US president has pledged to end the war “within 24 hours” if elected, although he provided no specific details about his plan.
In his interview with M1, Orbán also added that Trump had “pretty detailed plans” on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war, though he did not provide further details, according to BBC.
Orbán’s claim about Trump’s alleged statement comes as US Congressional Republicans have been stalling the approval of new aid funding for Ukraine and Israel for months. This lack of US military aid significantly affects Ukraine’s military capabilities as the Russian invasion of Ukraine has surpassed its second year.
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