Orban's allies hold closed-door meeting with Republicans to stop aid to Ukraine

Undersecretary of State in the Prime Minister's Office of the Political Director Marton Ugrosdy and leading pro-Orban academic Attila Demko, as well as staff from the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, DC, will begin a two-day event organized by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation on Monday, December 11.

The first day of the summit will feature panel discussions on the war in Ukraine, as well as topics such as the transatlantic culture wars.

According to a Republican source, some of the participants, including Republican members of Congress, have been invited to participate in closed-door talks the following day.

The meeting will take place against the backdrop of intense debate in Washington over Ukraine's future. Last week, the White House warned that without congressional action, money to buy weapons and equipment for Kyiv would run out by the end of the year. On Wednesday, Senate Republicans blocked an emergency spending bill to fund the war in Ukraine.

A diplomatic source close to the Hungarian embassy said: "Orban is confident that aid to Ukraine will not pass in Congress. That is why he is trying to block assistance from the EU as well."

Hungary's position on Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban takes an openly pro-Russian position. He often makes statements to discredit Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Hungary has not provided military assistance to Ukraine and is blocking the European Union's sanctions against Russia. In addition, Budapest continues to trade with Russia, and Hungarian officials visit Moscow.

EU officials said last month that the EU was considering providing aid to Hungary to gain Budapest's support for Ukraine. More recently, however, Bloomberg sources involved in preparations for the December 14-15 EU leaders' summit to discuss Ukraine expressed growing skepticism that Orban could be influenced.