Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban praised former U.S. President Donald Trump as "a man of peace" in an interview on March 10, two days after the leaders' meeting in Florida.
Trump hosted Orban at his Mar-a-Lago residence on March 8, referring to the Hungarian Prime Minister as "a fantastic leader." 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.
In Florida, the leaders discussed "a wide range of issues affecting Hungary and the United States, including the paramount importance of strong and secure borders to protect the sovereignty of each nation," according to a statement from Trump’s campaign.
"(W)e know from (Trump's) presidency that he is a man of peace," Orban said on Hungarian television, as reported by the news outlet Magyar Nemzet.
"And he is not hiding his views now, he has made it clear that his aim is to bring peace to the Russian-Ukrainian war. We want nothing less than peace, a ceasefire as soon as possible. We want an end as soon as possible to this war, which is slowly drawing to a close. I don't see anyone else with the determination and strength to do that besides Donald Trump."
Both Orban and Trump share a vision of "peace" in Ukraine that entails withdrawing international military support for Kyiv. Trump has long criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine, and as the presumptive Republican nominee in the 2024 U.S. elections, his sway over the party has contributed to the continuing deadlock in Congress over U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Orban has also leveraged his position in the EU to block aid to Ukraine and oppose sanctions against Russia.
Orban said in the interview that Trump's plans for an end to the war "are quite detailed" and align with Hungary's national interests.
Trump has notably claimed that he could negotiate peace in Ukraine within 24 hours, although he has not described the concrete steps he would take to achieve this.
Orban also said that while in the U.S. he gave a speech at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. He described Hungary as a conservative island in the "progressive, liberal ocean" of Europe, and said this appeals to Republicans in the U.S. He went on to lambast immigrants and LGBT rights.
Timothy Ash
