WASHINGTON: Foreign Minister of Hungary Peter Szijjarto on Wednesday said his country sees a chance for peace in Ukraine if Donald Trump wins the presidential election.
The statement comes as the NATO summit started with most allies hoping to send a firm message of support for Kyiv.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban last week visited Moscow on what he called a peace mission, but the visit angered some of Budapest’s fellow NATO allies, who said the tour handed legitimacy to the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.
The meeting of NATO leaders takes place in Washington. In an interview with Reuters in Washington, Szijjarto said Hungary wants to bring an end to the war through peace negotiations involving both Russia and Ukraine.
“I think a very strong external impact must take place in order to make them negotiate at least,” Szijjarto said. “Who has the chance for that in the upcoming period? That’s only President Trump if he is elected.”
Orban’s recent meetings with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had shown the vast distance separating the two sides.
Trump has stated that he would quickly end the war, however, he has not provided a detailed plan to achieve that.
“We see a chance for peace if President Trump is winning. We see a chance for good Hungary-US relationships if President Trump is winning,” he said.
Hungary’s stance on Ukraine is quite opposite to other NATO leaders, including Biden, who say Kyiv must decide when to start negotiations to end the war. Ukraine says it will not give up its territory in a peace deal.
NATO allies are expected to sign off on a weapons and training package for Ukraine during the summit.
