Europe will have to rethink its support for Ukraine if Donald Trump is elected president of the United States, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Sunday, saying that the continent “will not be able to bear the burdens of war alone”.
Viktor Orban opposes military aid to Ukraine and has made clear that he believes Donald Trump shares his views and will negotiate a peace deal.
The Hungarian Prime Minister supports the former Republican president of the United States in his duel against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in Tuesday's American election.
“We (in Europe) have to realize that if there is a pro-peace president in America, which I believe in (…), if what we expect happens and America becomes pro-peace peace, then Europe cannot remain pro-war,” Viktor Orban said.
Ukraine will be high on the agenda of the meeting of European leaders to be held in Budapest next week, he said, referring to a meeting of the European Political Community and another, more informal.
“Europe cannot bear the burden of [la
guerre]and if the Americans move to peace, we must also adapt, and that is what we will discuss in Budapest.”
Europe is concerned about the impact of the US election result on the war in Ukraine and on the security of the continent.
Viktor Orban has angered Brussels because of his close ties to Russia and his opposition to aid to Ukraine.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said in July that the Hungarian government saw Donald Trump as a “chance for peace” in Ukraine.
In July, Viktor Orban said his team was helping Donald Trump's aides develop policies on families and immigration. On Thursday, he called the Republican candidate to wish him luck before the election.
(Reporting by Anita Komuves, French version Benjamin Mallet)
