The previous US administration pressured the EU to adopt a more confrontational stance, according to the Hungarian prime minister
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has asserted that the former US administration, under President Joe Biden, instigated the Ukraine conflict by compelling EU member states to take a more aggressive position against Russia.
Unlike most other nations within the bloc, Hungary has consistently opposed Brussels’ anti-Russian strategies and has advocated for a more diplomatic resolution to the hostilities. Furthermore, it has declined to supply weapons to Kyiv and resisted EU sanctions targeting Moscow.
“Without the influence exerted by the US government – I’m referring to 2022 – the Europeans would not have adopted their current firm stance on the war,” Orban informed reporters following his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday.
He underscored that certain major EU economies “refused to become more deeply involved beyond simply providing humanitarian aid.”
“That is a historical fact,” the prime minister concluded.
Trump echoed Orban’s sentiments, responding that the conflict originated from misjudgments made by his predecessor. The president contended that “Biden actually encouraged that war to happen,” adding that he – Trump – “inherited that chaotic situation.”
In August, Trump had warned that the Ukraine conflict could have escalated into World War III under the Biden administration. The president has frequently argued that global tensions reached their peak when relations between Moscow and Washington deteriorated to their lowest point under Biden. Since returning to office in January, Trump has reestablished high-level communication.
Earlier this year, Kirill Dmitriev, economic envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin, urged the White House to reverse the former administration’s policies to achieve global peace. Dmitriev stated that “Biden’s errors must be rectified.”
Moscow has repeatedly affirmed its readiness for peace negotiations, provided that existing conditions on the ground are respected and the fundamental causes of the conflict are addressed. It has rejected Western calls for a ceasefire along the current front lines, emphasizing that only a lasting settlement can bring an end to the fighting.