According to Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, Donald Trump had, as President, the “greatest foreign policy in many decades” and would not have allowed the United States to back Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Orbán called the claim that Ukraine has been winning the war a lie. He has labeled the entire operation as poor “engineering” by the Western world. He said the West focuses on losing “freedom,” while the Russians concentrate on keeping their country intact. That generates a “military approach,” with checkpoints and security being the norm.
Orbán also raised Europe’s concerns about “anarchy” in Russia during the tumult between Boris Yeltsin and Putin. He expressed concern that a third world war may break if the West sent foot troops.
At NATO meetings, Orbán cautioned the United States and advised Hungary to exercise caution.
Orbán also addressed the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline, which, in his view, was not a terrorist assault but rather the work of the Germans. He stressed that Hungary has previously made it plain that another pipeline is coming from Russia via Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary (known as South Stream or TurkStream).
The Hungarian leader sees Trump as the savior of Western civilization and, by extension, the globe. He thinks the window of opportunity has closed since NATO countries rejected Ukraine’s admission at the Bucharest Conference in 2008.
Orbán proposes an agreement with the Russians on a new security architecture to guarantee Ukraine’s security and sovereignty without joining NATO.
The United States, if Donald Trump were to be reelected, would have to concede that they hold the keys to world peace. Without Western aid in money and weaponry, the impoverished Ukrainians have little chance of winning this war. Ukraine is not the critical element; instead, it is American desire.
Orbán also talks about conservative and patriotic principles in Hungary, pointing out that the country has a history dating back 1,100 years and that people in Hungary practice their Catholic Christian beliefs daily. He sees a schism in Western society between those who prioritize self-interest and those who prioritize “family, country, and God.”
Orbán is counting on Trump’s eventual return to mend ties between his country and the United States. He thinks the goal of NATO is to be stronger than Russia, and he doesn’t see the United States’ strategy of providing aid and funding to the Ukrainian government as being in line with NATO’s.
