The Russia–Ukraine War as Seen From Budapest

The American Conservative sits down with Balázs Orbán, political director to the Hungarian Prime Minister, to discuss why the logic of war should be replaced in the forthcoming Budapest summit by the idea of political settlement.

President Donald Trump recently demonstrated willingness for a summit with Russia, in Budapest, to seek an end to the conflict in Ukraine. Balázs Orbán, political director to the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (no relation), sat down with The American Conservative to discuss what are the possibilities of peace in Ukraine, and who in the EU might try to hinder that.

Hungary has been pushing for peace in Ukraine for a while. This seems to be a great opportunity to demonstrate that the Hungarian position was correct all along.

The goal of Hungarian foreign policy has never been to prove that our position is right, but to clearly represent our national strategic interests. Ukraine is our direct neighbour, which means the Ukraine–Russia war is not a distant conflict but a direct security risk for Hungary. This is why we have consistently advocated a political settlement, and why Prime Minister Viktor Orbán launched a peace mission last summer—during Hungary’s EU presidency—becoming the only European leader to visit both Moscow and Kiev to understand the positions of the parties first-hand.

In this context, President Trump’s return to office marked a turning point. From the outset, he made it clear that he stands with those seeking peace, and he is the only leader with the political weight to give new momentum to diplomacy. Following the successful conclusion of the Middle East peace process, the Sharm el-Sheikh summit once again confirmed that the American president is indeed a “President of...”

"The goal of Hungarian foreign policy has never been to prove that our position is right, but to clearly represent our national strategic interests."

Which is exactly why this advice is worthless. This Hungarian advice is about what is best for Hungary's strategic interests, not what is best for Ukraine's, or anyone else's. And in this case, Hungary clearly has decided that sucking up to Russia is in Hungary's national interest.

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