President Trump won’t donate a penny to Ukraine: Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that Donald Trump will not finance Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression if he is elected US president again.

After meeting with Trump in Florida, the conservative prime minister said, “The president will not spend a dime on the Ukraine-Russia war. That’s why the war will end.”

The former US president promised to end the war “within 24 hours” if elected, but gave no details.

Orbán has openly supported his longtime ally in the 2024 White House race.

“It is clear that Ukraine cannot stand on its own,” Orbán told Hungarian television channel M1 late Sunday.

“If the Americans do not give money and weapons along with the Europeans, the war will end. And if the Americans do not give money, the Europeans alone cannot finance this war. And the war is over.”

He added that Trump has a “pretty detailed plan” for how to end the Russia-Ukraine war, but did not elaborate. The BBC has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.

As president, Trump must approve spending bills from Congress. He has expressed skepticism in the past that the United States should continue funding Ukraine’s defense.

During a meeting Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion, the former U.S. president praised his guests. “There is no better, smarter, better leader than Viktor Orbán. He is great,” he said.

During his visit to the United States, Mr. Orbán did not meet with current President Joe Biden, who is expected to be Mr. Trump’s main rival in the November presidential election.

It is extremely unusual for a visiting foreign leader to schedule a meeting with a former leader without inviting the current leadership.

The Hungarian prime minister has repeatedly faced strong criticism from other EU leaders for maintaining close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. are collecting.

Unlike many other Western countries, Mr. Orban has refused to send weapons to neighboring Ukraine and has repeatedly said Kiev cannot defeat a nuclear-armed Russia.

EU leaders are increasingly concerned that a second Trump term could lead to sharp cuts in U.S. military and financial aid to Ukraine and the NATO military alliance.

A $95bn (£75bn) foreign aid bill, including $60bn in military aid to Ukraine, has been stalled in the US Congress due to opposition from Republicans.

Republicans, openly encouraged by Mr. Trump, say they will not allow the bill to clear the final hurdle in the House without first agreeing to additional funding for U.S. border security.

At a rally last month, he told supporters that cash should be loaned, not given out unconditionally.

“They want to give us another $60 billion. Do this: Lend them money, and if we do that, they’ll pay us back.”

Russian forces have recently increased their strength in eastern Ukraine as Kiev faces a severe shortage of ammunition.

Ukraine relies heavily on weapons from its main supplier, the United States, and other Western allies to continue fighting Russia, a much larger military with an abundance of artillery.