Trump reached out to Orban for discussions on Ukraine matters
In a significant development, US President Donald Trump held a conversation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban regarding Ukraine's bid to join the European Union. This discussion took place following the last round of the Ukraine summit in the Oval Office of the White House [4].
The conversation focused on Ukraine's talks with the EU about membership in the union. According to a report by Bloomberg, Trump asked Orban why he was blocking Ukraine's EU accession [1]. The discussion came at a time when European leaders urged Trump to use his influence to convince right-wing populist Orban to drop his resistance to Ukraine's accession ambitions [3].
Hungary, under Orban's leadership, has repeatedly obstructed Ukraine’s EU path and is seen as shielding Russian interests within the EU. This has prompted European officials to request Trump's intervention given his influence over Orban [1][2]. The move to secure Ukraine's EU membership is viewed as a strategic move to bolster Ukraine's security and sovereignty amid the ongoing conflict with Russia [1][2][3][4].
The meeting was attended by several heads of state, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. However, Rutte and von der Leyen were effectively excluded from the discussion with Trump [1].
The call also coincided with efforts to arrange a summit between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, potentially hosted by Hungary, with Trump playing a role in facilitating peace talks. Orban publicly stated he sees linking Ukraine's EU membership to security guarantees as unnecessary and dangerous, maintaining his opposition despite the request [1][2].
In a surprising turn of events, Trump and Orban discussed the possibility of a future meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin taking place in Budapest [2]. Despite the pressure from European allies, it remains to be seen how this discussion will impact Ukraine's EU accession bid and the broader geopolitical landscape.
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