Orban meets with Trump after NATO summit

Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban met in Florida with former US President Donald Trump after the end of the NATO summit in Washington.

The meeting with Trump will likely bother Budapest's allies even more as Orban angered his European counterparts after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.

Orban, the right-wing politician whose state took over this month leadership of the European Union presidency, has been a vocal supporter of Trump and is meeting with the republican candidate for president in March.

“We discussed ways to achieve peace”, Orban said through a post on social networks, where he published a photo of the meeting with Trump. “Good news of the day: he will resolve this matter”

Trump responded to Orban's post by writing on his social network, Social Truth: “Thank you, Viktor. There must be peace and fast. A lot of people died in a war they never had to start”.

Orban sparked criticism from the EU after going to Moscow to meet Putin. The Hungarian leader described his visit as the “Peace Commission” in terms of the war in Ukraine.

His visit to Russia was realised after a visit he paid to Kiev, where he met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The 27-member European bloc has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and imposed unprecedented sanctions on Moscow.

The Hungarian leader seemed isolated during the NATO summit in Washington and spoke little about the media.

“Victor Orban has no mandate from the alliance, nor the EU, to hold any form of negotiations”, said Finland's President Alexander Stubbb, during the NATO summit.

He can do this personally. But I didn't agree to that at all. I just don't see a reason”.

Orban, like Trump, has expressed scepticism about the role NATO states are playing in supporting Ukraine and has refused to send weapons to Kiev, saying such a thing would escalate conflict. / REL/