BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Ukraine has already lost the war it is waging against the Russian invasion, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday, adding that he believes Donald Trump will end U.S. support for Kiev.
Orbán is organizing two days of summits in the Hungarian capital Budapest, shortly after Trump’s election victory. The war in Ukraine will be high on the agenda for a Friday meeting of the European Union’s 27 leaders, most of whom believe that continuing to supply weapons and financial support to Ukraine are key elements for the continent’s security.
Orbán, who has close ties to both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, reiterated on state radio his long-held position that an immediate ceasefire should be declared and predicted that Trump will end the conflict.
“If Donald Trump had won in the United States in 2020, these two nightmarish years would not have happened and there would have been no war,” Orbán said. “The situation at the front is clear: there has been a military defeat. The Americans will withdraw from this war.”
Russian forces have recently made modest gains in eastern Ukraine, although positions on the front lines have remained relatively stable for months. But as the war approaches a thousand days, Ukrainian forces are struggling to match the Russian army, which is much larger and better equipped.
Western support is crucial for Ukraine to sustain the costly war of attrition. The uncertainty about how long that aid will last has increased this week due to Trump’s victory in the presidential election. The Republican has repeatedly criticized US aid to Ukraine.
At a meeting Thursday of European leaders in Budapest, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky objected to Trump’s claim that Russia’s war with Ukraine could be ended within a day, something he and his European backers fear would mean peace on terms that are favorable to Putin and that there would be a surrender. of territory.
“If it happens very quickly, it will be a loss for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
Orbán has long sought to undermine EU support for Kiev, routinely blocking, delaying or diluting the bloc’s efforts to provide weapons and financing and punish Moscow for its invasion.
But EU leaders have largely found solutions to each obstacle and have demonstrated their commitment to continue helping Ukraine in its struggle, regardless of who occupies the White House.
Arriving at Friday’s summit, European Council President Charles Michel said: “We must strengthen Ukraine, support Ukraine, because if we do not support Ukraine, this is the wrong signal that we are sending to Putin, but also to some other authoritarian regimes around the world. the world.”
