Trump ‘will solve the war between Russia and Ukraine,’ says Orbán – POLITICO

The Hungarian president’s self-proclaimed peace crusade for Ukraine has now taken him to Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing and Palm Beach and included meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and now Trump.

But Ukraine has not asked Orbán for help, but instead is pursuing its own peace plan and wants to punish Russia for its large-scale invasion, which has now been going on for almost two and a half years.

“With all due respect to all countries, big and small, we must say that not all heads of state and government can negotiate. To do so, you need to have a certain amount of power and strength,” Zelensky said, commenting on the Hungarian leader’s peacekeeping mission during a press conference on Thursday.

Orbán, for his part, repeated Russia’s portrayal of the war, but pushed for other peace initiatives, such as the Chinese plan to freeze the conflict, and refused to provide financial aid to Ukraine.

Since Hungary took over the rotating EU Council Presidency at the beginning of July, Orbán has announced that he wants to use his presidency to take steps towards peace in Russia’s war against Ukraine – even though Budapest’s role does not grant him any special diplomatic status.

After meeting with Putin and Xi, Orbán travelled on to Washington, where he met with other NATO heads of state and government for a summit marking the alliance’s 75th anniversary.

Trump, who is ahead of incumbent President Joe Biden in polls in several swing states crucial to the November election, has also repeatedly stated that he will end the war quickly – even before he takes office as president.