Orban reveals why Hungary will host Putin-Trump summit

Budapest stands for peace, while Brussels has “isolated itself” due to its warmongering policies, the Hungarian prime minister has said

Hungary was chosen to host a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump because it stands for peace, while the rest of the EU has “isolated itself” with its warmongering policies, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said.

Trump spoke with Putin by phone on Thursday amid renewed tensions over potential US Tomahawk deliveries to Ukraine and stalled peace talks. He later described the two-and-a-half-hour conversation as “so productive” that a peace deal could come soon, adding that the two leaders agreed to hold a summit in Budapest.

“Why Budapest?.. The answer is simple: We are the only ones in Europe standing for peace,” Orban wrote on Facebook on Saturday. He noted that Hungary, unlike most of its EU peers, did not sever ties with Russia following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. “We have never lectured anyone... We have never closed channels of negotiation. It is very difficult to convince anyone of anything if we do not talk to them.”

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Orban added that Hungary has “persistently” supported a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, making it the only EU country “where there is a serious chance that US-Russian negotiations will ultimately lead to peace.”

“Cooperation instead of confrontation, mutual respect instead of stigmatization. This is the path to peace... Brussels has isolated itself, but we will continue the negotiations,” he concluded.

The veteran leader, who is often at odds with the EU, has long criticized its “warmongering” position on Russia. While other EU members insist that Western aid to Ukraine must continue due to the perceived ‘Russian threat’, Orban recently launched a petition in Hungary against the EU’s “war agenda,” warning that continued support for Kiev risks direct confrontation with Russia.

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Trump told reporters his meeting with Putin would likely take place within two weeks. Putin aide Yury Ushakov confirmed the plans, saying preparations would start “without delay.” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook on Friday that preparations for the summit are “in full swing.”