BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has asserted that former US president Donald Trump told him during a meeting that he would “not give a penny” to the war in Ukraine — a claim Trump’s team did not comment on.
Orban — the only EU leader to have maintained ties with the Kremlin since Russia invaded Ukraine — travelled to Florida on Friday to meet his “good friend” Trump. He has frequently expressed hope for the Republican’s return to power.
Speaking about his visit to public broadcaster M1 late on Sunday, Orban said the two of them spoke about the war in Ukraine during their Friday meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
“He 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,” Orban said.
“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.
Trump so far has not commented on the contents of his meeting with Orban.
Orban angered fellow EU leaders by meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in September and has previously spoken out against Western sanctions on Moscow.
Orban also told M1 that Trump had “quite detailed plans on how to end this war”, declining to elaborate.
Orban regularly advocates for immediate ceasefire and peace talks, arguing Trump, who has previously expressed admiration for Putin, is best qualified to find a way out of the conflict.
US President Joe Biden criticized election rival Trump on Friday for meeting Orban, saying the Hungarian premier was “looking for dictatorship”.