Trump Calls Orban: Requests Influence on Ukraine’s EU Accretion and Discusses Peace Negotiation Strategies in Europe
Following an official call from Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S.
President Donald Trump contacted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to discuss the ongoing blockade of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and to coordinate possible steps toward reaching a peaceful resolution of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
According to Bloomberg, this phone call was a result of coordination between Trump and a group of European leaders gathered at the White House for talks aimed at ending the conflict.
During the closed-door conversation, Trump received instructions, including a call for Orbán to leverage his influence and persuade the populist leader to lift his objections to Ukraine’s EU membership.Ukraine is eager to join the EU as part of broader security guarantees to enhance its protection against territorial incursions by Russia in case of a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, during the call, the U.S.
expressed interest in organizing a high-level summit between Russia and Ukraine, possibly in Hungary.
Additionally, the U.S.
plans to convene a trilateral meeting involving Putin, Zelensky, and President Biden, though the specific date and location are still undecided.This conversation occurred after several hours of negotiations in Washington involving Zelensky, Trump, and European leaders who gathered to support a unified diplomatic stance.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán, in a Facebook post, reiterated his firm position that Ukraine’s EU membership does not, in itself, guarantee security, and emphasized that security issues should be considered separately from political and economic integration.