‘Now, that the new US administration is very clearly pursuing a different policy on Ukraine compared to its predecessor’s, Europe’s attitude should adapt too. The fact that European leaders’ messages after Friday do not signal any change in the EU’s policy demonstrates that Europe is unable or unwilling to realize that…the only way forward is to end the war on the Eastern front as soon as possible.’
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is travelling to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron for bilateral talks on Ukraine, as European leaders prepare for a decisive emergency summit on Thursday. While Europe has attempted to signal its readiness to fill the void left by Donald Trump’s halt on all military aid to Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears to prefer Washington’s support.
‘Since 1945 America has been the one country that’s been the readiest to stand sentinel to others’ freedom, to do as much for others as they were prepared to do for themselves; often without the honour it deserved for being the policeman that a freer and fairer world will always need.’
US President Donald Trump has moved to halt all military aid to Ukraine following a heated clash with his Ukrainian counterpart in the Oval Office on Friday. The decision comes as European leaders prepare to meet on Thursday to determine the EU’s strategy, with an overwhelming majority favouring continued military support over peace negotiations.
‘Why then would the U.S. now wish to abandon to uphold and defend the sovereign rights of a free country? Quite simply, because the Ukrainians do not have the manpower anymore to fend off Russian forces, let alone the political clout to regain its lost territories, including Crimea, regardless of European support.’
Ahead of the upcoming EU summit, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called on Brussels to abandon military escalation in Ukraine and instead initiate peace negotiations, advocating a diplomatic strategy inspired by US President Donald Trump.
‘…an attempt to invest into alternative suppliers…can be understood as an effort to diversify supply chains amid rising competition between Washington and Beijing. The United State’s quest to secure its supply of critical minerals is especially timely given the fact that a couple of months ago, in December 2024 China imposed restrictions on the export of several minerals and metals to the US.’
Washington and Kyiv have finally come to an agreement on the joint extraction of critical resources, including rare earth minerals from Ukraine’s reserves. While the exact terms of the deal remain unknown, it could represent a significant step towards reducing American dependence on Chinese imports of the most essential resources of the future.
‘As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, the world faces an entirely new reality. A reality where Russia and Putin are no longer portrayed as the greatest evil. A reality where diplomacy is once again regarded as the primary tool for resolving disputes between nations. A reality where the end of the conflict could be within arm’s reach. And a reality where, unfortunately, Ukraine and Europe appear increasingly irrelevant.’
‘According to the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the year of the snake, which symbolizes change and transformation. It thus may not be a coincidence that Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to bring about drastic changes in Washington, commenced his second term as President of the United States in this epochal year.’
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
