Donald Trump and Viktor Orban. Photo: Zoltan Fischer/AFP
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said during an informal summit of the European Political Community in Budapest that the United States could stop supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia if US President-elect Donald Trump fulfils his promises. According to Orban, who is on friendly terms with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, “Ukraine is a military defeat” and Washington may leave Kyiv without help. ABC News writes.
Orban also stressed that Europe is unable to finance the war without US support. “Some people still want to send huge sums of money to this lost war, but the number of those who are already cautiously talking about the need to adapt to the new situation is growing,” the Hungarian prime minister said.
Trump’s promise and Moscow’s reaction
Donald Trump, who has repeatedly declared his readiness to end the war “within 24 hours” of taking office, received a reaction from the Kremlin. Press secretary Dmitry Peskov expressed scepticism about this statement, although he added that Moscow “does not forget” about Trump’s desire to propose ways to resolve the conflict before the inauguration.
Vladimir Putin, in his first public comment on Trump’s victory, congratulated him on his election and said he was ready to resume contact with him. Putin also called Trump “courageous” after the assassination attempt in July, adding that he was ready to cooperate.
Kyiv’s reaction and confidence in US support
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Donald Trump on his victory and expressed hope for continued bipartisan support for Ukraine in the US Congress. Zelenskyy stressed that it is important for Ukraine to preserve its territory, and that a quick end to the war should not be achieved by making concessions to Putin.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, was also optimistic about US support for Ukraine after Trump’s election. In an interview, he noted that the American leader is not interested in weakening US global leadership by ending the war on Russia’s terms.
The Ukrainian side is awaiting an official announcement of the Trump administration’s structure, which will allow it to assess who will be responsible for national security, defence and foreign policy.
