Orban discusses with Trump his Ukraine 'peace mission'

The meeting took place at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. According to Orban’s spokesperson, this visit was part of Orban's ongoing "peace mission." "The discussion was about the possibilities of peace," the spokesperson said.

Orban’s 'peace tour' and reactions from Ukraine and West

Prior to this, Orban had visited Kyiv, Moscow, and Beijing over the past two weeks as part of what he claims to be his "peace mission," a move that has angered allies in the North Atlantic Alliance. His meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in particular, sparked outrage among other NATO members. They stated that this visit legitimizes the Kremlin leader at a time when the West seeks to isolate him due to his large-scale military aggression against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a press conference at the NATO summit, commented on Orban’s initiative, noting that "not all leaders can hold negotiations," and that "you need to have some power for this."

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, when asked about Orban’s initiative, said that Ukraine would rightly be concerned about any attempt to negotiate a peace deal without Kyiv's involvement. "Whatever adventurism is being undertaken without Ukraine's consent or support is not something that's consistent with our policy, the foreign policy of the United States," the American official said.

Orban's self-proclaimed peace mission has also frustrated many European Union members, with Hungary assuming the presidency of the EU at the beginning of this month.

Hungary at NATO summit and hopes for Trump

Orban participated in the recent NATO summit organized by US President Joe Biden. The Hungarian delegation expressed disapproval of key positions of the North Atlantic Alliance but did not obstruct the bloc’s actions.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told Reuters that Budapest believes a second Trump presidency would bolster hopes for peace in Ukraine. He said that Orban hoped to end the war through peace negotiations involving both Russia and Ukraine.

Trump has previously claimed he would quickly end the war but has not provided a detailed plan for achieving this goal.

According to Western media, advisors to the former US president have allegedly presented him with a plan to end the war, partially making future aid to Ukraine contingent on Kyiv joining peace talks.

Additionally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reportedly wrote a letter to EU leaders after his trips to Ukraine, Russia, and China, saying that Europe should launch a peace initiative regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine without waiting for the United States.