Donald Trump’s pick for national security advisor, Mike Waltz, stated in a recent interview that the President-elect’s team will take a hard look at Viktor Orbán’s Christmas ceasefire proposal. Last week the Hungarian prime minister concluded his second peace mission in six months, presenting a truce initiative and a large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
‘We knew that if Donald Trump won the US presidential election, the most influential man in Europe—the politician whose phone calls would be answered by Trump, Putin, and Xi Jinping—would be Viktor Orbán,’ Ciprian Rus, senator of the progressive Save Romania Union highlighted in a recent interview.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó was critical of his counterparts in other EU Member States for still pushing for arms supplies instead of negotiating a ceasefire, in a Facebook post he shared as he set off to attend the last EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting of the Hungarian EU presidency. Earlier, he also revealed in a radio interview that President Zelenksyy of Ukraine refused to have a phone conversation with PM Orbán.
A bomb threat was received by the Hungarian Embassy in Paris via email, Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó reported on his social media page on Saturday. While few details about the incident have been disclosed, initial indications suggest it may have been motivated by attempts to obstruct Hungary’s peace efforts in Ukraine.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán proposed a Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia as a conclusion to Hungary’s EU Presidency. However, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the proposal outright, stating: ‘There can be no discussions about the war that Russia wages against Ukraine without Ukraine.’
Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Hamas: if all hostages are not released by 20 January, they will face consequences unprecedented in American history. During his first term, Trump’s peace through strength diplomacy proved highly effective, and there is every indication that he will continue to achieve significant foreign policy successes as President.
President-elect Donald Trump picked former Chief of Staff of the National Security Council Keith Kellogg as special envoy for the war in Ukraine. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó welcomed the decision, highlighting its significance in strengthening the global peace camp.
‘The fact that the Ukrainians are both stretched out and exhausted, foreseeing their eventual defeat on the battlefield to the Russians, the use of ATACMS will extend the war into next year, at least until when Donald Trump takes over the reins in Washington. The new president would thus be historically blamed for losing Ukraine to our old Soviet adversary.’
The Court of Justice of the European Union began its hearing on Hungary’s child protection law this week. Hungary faces opposition from 16 EU member states and the European Commission, which have labelled the law as ‘anti-LGBTQ’. A ruling against Budapest could carry significant and unforeseen implications for the future of the European Union.
Press reports indicate that in Donald Trump’s new administration Marco Rubio will be appointed Secretary of State, and Mike Waltz will take on the role of national security advisor. These likely appointments are promising for Hungary, as both politicians hold views on key issues—such as the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East—that align with Budapest’s foreign policy.