Orban Positions Himself As Trump's Link in Europe

"Europe's contrarian, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is positioning himself as Donald Trump's link across the Atlantic, saying he is on a mission to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Orban, fresh from meetings this month with top leaders in Beijing, Moscow and Kyiv, plus a swing through Washington for NATO's summit, traveled to Florida Thursday to meet with Trump, a good friend of Orban's who is again the Republican presidential candidate.

The gadfly nationalist Hungarian leader, who has maintained relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin -- to the consternation of other North Atlantic Treaty Organization members -- used the social-media platform X to describe his stop at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate as part of his "peace mission." He said Trump "is a man of peace," adding: "He will do it again!"

Orban "is clearly betting on a Trump victory in November," said Jorn Fleck, a senior director with the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. "His check-in with Trump in Mar-a-Lago seems a well-timed gamble to establish himself early for unique access to a Trump II administration and position himself as a potential player on a larger stage."

Orban last week greeted Putin with a hug. It has become rare for European leaders to visit Russia since its full-scale conflict in Ukraine in February 2022. A day earlier Orban had made an unannounced visit to Ukraine, where he met President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky had invited Orban, and despite longstanding animosity the meeting was fairly cordial, according to two people familiar with it. Zelensky invited Orban partly in the hope of keeping Hungary from blocking European Union aid to Ukraine, and also to hear Hungarian ideas for facilitating peace talks, the people said.

Orban has criticized Western support to Ukraine and Zelensky himself, and even temporarily blocked EU funding. Zelensky in turn lambasted Orban for what Ukraine and others saw as his support for Russia and appeasement of Putin.

Hungarian officials said the visit was meant to explore a peaceful settlement, although it wasn't immediately clear what was achieved. After Moscow, Orban met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Hungary holds the rotating presidency of the EU, but the role has always focused on internal issues, not international diplomacy. EU leaders have said Orban has no authority to hold meetings or speak on the 27-country bloc's behalf.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Orban of "appeasement" while he was in Moscow, saying on X that his outreach "will not stop Putin." Other senior European diplomats said the trips are more about aggrandizing Orban's role on the continent than sincere efforts at diplomacy.

In a nod to Trump, Hungary adopted "Make Europe Great Again" -- MEGA -- as the motto for its term in presidency. In April Budapest hosted the Conservative Political Action Conference, a premier gathering of the U.S. right wing, for the third year running.

Trump campaign officials said the two men weren't discussing any official effort to negotiate peace between the warring European nations, but the visit sparked speculation that Trump was using Orban as an intermediary and seeking information in the hope of better understanding Putin's terms, were he to agree to a negotiation.

"Trump has repeatedly stated that a top priority in his second term will be to quickly negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict," said Trump campaign Communications Director Steven Cheung. "The conflict between Russia and Ukraine never would have happened if Donald J. Trump were president. So sad."

Orban last visited Trump in March, and often makes clear his desire to see Trump back in office. Now the EU's longest-serving leader, Orban shares the former U.S. president's populist approach. The two are hard-liners on immigration and restrictions on LGBTQ rights. He has also taken measures to crack down on his country's press and the judiciary.

Trump has referred to Orban as a "great gentleman" and a "strong" leader." [1]

Promoters of hatred between nations, running EU, would eat Orban alive, if not for Trump. They are now afraid that they will be forced to eat their own shit if Trump is re-elected as a president of America.

1. U.S. News: Orban Positions Himself As Trump's Link in Europe. Salama, Vivian; Pancevski, Bojan. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 13 July 2024: A.5.