Pushing Quick End to Ukraine War, Orban Plays Trump’s Messenger to E.U.
After meeting with Donald J. Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home on Thursday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary wrote to a top E.U. official to say that Mr. Trump had told him he was planning a swift push for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Mr. Trump’s view, the letter explained, was that the war had to end, and that he had specific plans to broker this outcome quickly, even before being inaugurated, if he were elected.
While it was not possible to independently verify Mr. Orban’s account, the positions laid out in the letter, obtained by The New York Times, largely track with Mr. Trump’s long-held views on Ukraine. It did not offer details about how Mr. Trump would end the intractable war, now in its third year, other than to indicate that he would reduce American financial support for Ukraine.
Mr. Orban is closely aligned with Mr. Trump and is the fiercest critic-from-within of the European Union’s staunch backing of Ukraine.
Mr. Orban Goes to Florida
Mr. Orban was in Washington to attend the NATO summit and took time out to see Mr. Trump in Florida. The meeting capped a frantic two weeks of self-appointed diplomacy by Mr. Orban after his country took on the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union on July 1.
Mr. Orban has used the largely secretarial role to bounce around the world. He visited President Vladimir V. Putin in Moscow; President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine; and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, in Beijing. He then met with Mr. Trump, who during his campaign has sat down with a series of foreign officials aligned with his views.
None of Mr. Orban’s recent visits were authorized by the European Union, which has severed ties with Russia and has a tense relationship with China.
The E.U. has helped arm Ukrainian forces and imposed broad sanctions against Russia in coordination with the Biden administration. It has also started talks to let Ukraine join as a full member.
Mr. Orban, a self-declared illiberal nationalist, is Mr. Putin’s and Mr. Trump’s closest — if not their only close — E.U. ally. Mr. Orban has long called for a cease-fire in Ukraine, a position untenable to Ukrainian leaders, who argue that it would lock in Russia’s territorial gains.
Several E.U. governments have been dismayed by Mr. Orban’s globe-trotting. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, announced on Monday that it would not send prominent political figures to meetings in Hungary, in a symbolic soft boycott.
What’s in the Letter?
The letter, dated July 12 and first reported by The Financial Times, paints Mr. Trump’s return to the presidency, and a subsequent Ukraine peace push, as a near certainty.
It is addressed to Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, the E.U. institution that convenes the national governments of the member countries and parses their preferences.
Mr. Orban uses his description of Mr. Trump’s positions to advance a case that he has long made: that Europe should support an end to the war and make good with Russia, no matter the cost to Ukraine.
Among other things, Mr. Orban writes:
“During my talks with President Trump, I came to a conclusion that foreign policy will play only a small role in his campaign, which is dominated by internal political questions. Therefore we can expect no peace initiative coming from him until the elections.”
“I can however surely state that shortly after his election victory, he will not wait until his inauguration, but will be ready to act as a peace broker immediately. He has detailed and well-founded plans for this.”
“I am more than convinced that in the likely outcome of the victory of President Trump, the proportion of the financial burden between the U.S. and the E.U. will significantly change to the E.U.’s disadvantage when it comes to the financial support of Ukraine.”
Trump campaign officials and Hungarian officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The letter suggests that Europe has followed the Biden administration’s stance on Ukraine and should carve out its own approach.
Mr. Orban writes:
“Our European strategy in the name of trans-Atlantic unity has copied the pro-war policy of the U.S. We have not had a sovereign and independent European strategy or political action plan up to now.”
He proposes “reopening direct lines of diplomatic communication with Russia and the rehabilitation of such direct contacts in our political communication,” while maintaining contacts with Ukraine.
A Cautious Kyiv
Mr. Zelensky has tried to gather enough international support to make it more difficult for a Trump White House to dictate terms of a peace deal. He has been cautious about commenting on the U.S. election but has insisted that Republicans support Ukraine.
“I met with a lot of Republican governors. They treat Ukraine, the people of Ukraine, our soldiers, me, with great respect, and I see that we will develop these relations regardless” of the election’s outcome, Mr. Zelensky said on Monday. “Therefore, I do not see any major threats here,” he added.
Marc Santora contributed reporting from Kyiv, and Maggie Astor from New York.
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