Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has informed European leaders that former U.S. President Donald Trump is prepared to act as a peace broker between Russia and Ukraine if he is re-elected. This assertion has sparked concerns across Europe that Trump might pressure Kyiv into ceding territory to Moscow.
Orban’s statement was made in a letter addressed to European Council President Charles Michel and circulated to all European Union leaders. The letter followed Orban’s controversial meetings with Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“I can surely state that shortly after his election victory, he will not wait until his inauguration; [Trump] will be ready to act as a peace broker immediately. He has detailed and well-founded plans for this,” Orban wrote.
The Hungarian prime minister, who has tried to portray himself as a peacemaker in the conflict, holds views that contrast sharply with most EU leaders. They have pledged strong support for Ukraine as it defends against Russian aggression.
Orban indicated in his letter that there was a “general observation” during his meetings that “the intensity of the military conflict” in Ukraine “will radically escalate in the near future.” He also suggested that Trump plans to reduce U.S. aid to Ukraine if elected, stating, “I am more than convinced that in the likely outcome of the victory of President Trump, the proportion of the financial burden between the U.S. and the EU will significantly change to the EU’s disadvantage when it comes to the financial support of Ukraine.”
Trump, known for his bold foreign policy statements, claimed during a CNN town hall last year, “If I’m president, I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours.” Despite rejecting Putin’s terms for peace—which include Ukraine ceding four territories currently occupied by Russia—Trump has criticized U.S. military aid to Kyiv.
Orban, a rare ally of Trump within the EU, has been on a self-described “peace mission,” meeting with Putin in Moscow on July 5 and Xi in Beijing on July 8. He also met Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida last Thursday. Additionally, Orban visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv at the beginning of July, marking his first visit to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.
In his letter, Orban urged EU leaders to find a “window of opportunity” for a “new chapter” in EU policy, advocating for efforts to “decrease tensions and/or create the conditions for a temporary ceasefire and/or start peace negotiations” in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Hungary, which assumed the rotating EU presidency last month, adopted the slogan “Make Europe Great Again,” echoing Trump’s 2016 campaign motto. However, Orban’s meetings with Putin, Xi, and Trump have been poorly received by EU lawmakers, who accused him of undermining the EU’s foreign policy stance.
European Council President Charles Michel responded to Orban in a letter, stating, “The most direct way to peace is for Russia to withdraw all of its forces from Ukraine and respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the UN Charter.” Michel emphasized that “no discussion about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine” and rejected Orban’s claim that the EU has led a “pro-war policy.”
Michel reminded Orban that Hungary, despite holding the rotating EU presidency, “has no role in representing the [European Union] on the international stage and received no European Council mandate to engage on behalf of the union.”
A separate letter signed by 63 European lawmakers criticized Orban for causing “significant damage” through his meetings and called for suspending Hungary’s voting rights in the European Council, arguing that previous verbal condemnations of Hungary have had “no effect.”
The clash between Orban and the EU leadership highlights ongoing tensions within the bloc regarding its approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the role of individual member states in shaping foreign policy.