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Donald Trump will quickly demand peace talks between Russia and Ukraine if he wins the US presidential election in November and has drawn up “well-founded plans” to achieve this, Hungarian President Viktor Orbán said after private talks with the Republican candidate.
This prospect means that the EU should reopen direct diplomatic communication with Russia and start “high-level” negotiations with China to find a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine, the Hungarian prime minister said in a private letter to EU leaders following consultations in Moscow and Beijing.
Orbán also said in the letter that, based on his recent discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the “general assessment” was that “the intensity of the military conflict will escalate dramatically in the near future.” Moscow has relied heavily on Beijing to prosecute the conflict.
Contacted by the Financial Times, which saw the letter, Orbán’s office declined to comment on the report. Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
His trips to meet Putin, Xi and Trump over the past two weeks as he holds the rotating EU presidency have shocked his allies in the bloc and NATO.
Many fear that Orbán’s support for a peace deal while Russia still controls large parts of eastern Ukraine will play into the hands of the Kremlin and undermine Western resolve to support kyiv’s territorial integrity.
“We cannot expect any peace initiatives from Trump before the elections. However, I can say with certainty that shortly after his election victory, he will not wait for his inauguration, but will be ready to act immediately as a peace broker,” Orbán wrote in his letter to European Council President Charles Michel and other EU leaders. “He has detailed and well-founded plans for this.”
This means that the EU should anticipate the change in US policy, Orbán said, and either accept the need for immediate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine or take on more responsibility for financing Ukraine’s defense.
JD Vance, the Republican senator from Ohio whom Trump picked as his running mate on Monday, used an FT opinion piece in February to call on Europe to shoulder a greater share of the burden of supporting Ukraine.
“I am more than convinced that in the likely event of President Trump’s victory, the distribution of the financial burden between the US and the EU will change significantly to the detriment of the EU when it comes to financial support for Ukraine,” Orbán wrote in his letter.
The Hungarian prime minister has long been the EU’s most pro-Russian leader, criticizing Western sanctions against Moscow and military support for Ukraine while demanding a ceasefire in the war and peace talks.
This contrasts with the EU’s common position that it must help Ukraine’s defence and that only kyiv can decide when to open negotiations with Russia.
“Our European strategy in the name of transatlantic unity has copied the pro-war policy of the United States,” Orbán wrote.
“We have not yet had a sovereign and independent European strategy or a political action plan. I propose to discuss whether the continuation of this policy is rational in the future.”
He told EU leaders: “We can find a window of opportunity with a solid moral and rational basis to start a new chapter in our policy… (and) make an effort to reduce tensions and/or create the conditions for a temporary ceasefire and/or start peace negotiations.”
Orbán’s description of Trump’s Ukraine peace plan is consistent with a policy paper on the conflict written by two allies of the former president who are expected to hold senior national security posts in his administration if he wins the U.S. election in November.
The plan by Keith Kellogg and Fred Fleitz of the America First Policy Institute proposes that the United States continue to bolster Ukraine’s defenses, but future military aid would require kyiv to participate in peace talks with Russia.
Additional reporting by Felicia Schwartz in Denver
News Source : www.ft.com
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