Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with former U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on July 12, the Hungarian leader said on social media.
The visit, described by Orban as "peace mission 5.0.," took place at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort after the NATO summit in Washington, where partners launched the Ukraine Compact, a security framework signed by 32 allies.
Prior to that, the Hungarian leader visited Ukraine, Russia, and China in what he presented as an effort to promote a ceasefire and peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. During his visit to Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Orban's ceasefire proposal.
"We discussed ways to make peace. The good news of the day: he's (Trump) going to solve it," Orban wrote on X.
The Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee has repeatedly said he could end Russia's war within 24 hours if elected president, without specifying the steps for reaching a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.
"Thank you Viktor. There must be peace, and quickly," Trump said following the meeting.
Orban has a long-standing relationship with conservatives in the U.S. and is the only European leader who is openly friendly toward the Kremlin. He has spoken highly of Trump on several occasions since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, praising him as "a man of peace."
The Hungarian prime minister also said in March that Trump would stop funding Ukraine if elected.
Zelensky said that he is "potentially ready" to meet with Trump and urged him to reveal his plan for ending Russia's war against Ukraine so Kyiv can be prepared for any risks such a plan might entail.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
