HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER Viktor Orban has claimed that former US President Donald Trump told him he would “not give a penny” to Ukraine to support its defence against Russia.
Trump and Orban met on Friday while the right-wing Hungarian leader visited Florida in the US.
In the wake of the meeting, Orban said Trump – who he has called his “good friend” – said if he is elected as president in November, he would not send any more financial support from the US to Ukraine.
Speaking about his visit to public broadcaster M1 late yesterday, Orban said that they spoke about the war in Ukraine during their meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
“He has a very clear vision which is hard not to agree with. He says 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,” he continued.
“If the Americans do not give money, the Europeans alone will not be able to finance this war, and then the war is over.”
Orban said that Trump has “quite detailed plans on how to end this war” but did not give further detail.
Neither Trump nor his press team have not commented on what was discussed with the meeting.
Orban is the only leader of an EU country who has maintained close ties with Russian leadership since the country launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He angered fellow EU leaders in September by meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden criticised Trump’s decision to meet Orban.
“You know who [Trump's] meeting with today? Orban of Hungary, who stated flatly he doesn’t think democracy works and is looking for dictatorship,”Biden said at a campaign rally.
“I see a future where we defend democracy, not diminish it,” Biden said.
Additional reporting by AFP
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