US President Donald Trump has explained why he and Russian President Vladimir Putin chose Hungary as the venue for the next round of peace talks on Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, Trump praised Hungary and its prime minister, Viktor Orbán, for not having ‘a lot of the problems that other countries have.’
‘We like Viktor Orbán. He [Putin] likes him, I like him,’ Trump said, adding that Hungary is a safe country and that Orbán has done a very good job ‘in the sense of running his country.’ ‘I think he’ll be a very good host,’ he concluded.
Trump announced on Thursday that he and Putin would meet in Budapest in the coming weeks, following a two-hour phone call with the Russian president. Orbán confirmed that preparations had already begun and described Hungary as an ‘island of peace.’ On Friday, the Hungarian prime minister said that he had also discussed the meeting with Putin, while Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó held a phone conversation with Kremlin advisor Yuriy Ushakov.
The US president also commented on Hungary’s energy imports from Russia. Trump, who has repeatedly urged European allies to stop buying oil from Moscow, was expected to pressure Budapest to do the same. However, after his conversation with Orbán, he took a more nuanced stance, acknowledging Hungary’s dependence on Russian energy due to its geographical location and limited infrastructure.
‘Hungary is sort of stuck because they have one pipeline that’s been there for years and years and years, and they’re inland,’ Trump said, adding that he ‘understands that.’
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