Trump called Orbán to ask: Why block Ukraine's accession talks with the EU

According to a report by Bloomberg on the 19th, US President Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán and asked him why he was blocking Ukraine's accession talks with the EU. This call came after Trump met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and leaders of several European countries at the White House to discuss how to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

According to sources who spoke to Bloomberg, during the meeting held at the White House, someone suggested that Trump use his influence over Orbán to persuade this right-wing populist leader to abandon his stance against Ukraine joining the EU. Ukraine has long hoped to join the EU, seeing it as an important security guarantee for the implementation of a ceasefire agreement and the end of the war, thus avoiding future Russian invasions of Ukrainian territory. The war has lasted more than three years so far.

While Trump was calling Orbán, Hungary also expressed willingness to host the next round of negotiations between Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. After concluding discussions with all parties on Monday, Trump immediately announced that he was actively promoting a summit to facilitate direct meetings between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, followed by a trilateral meeting in which he himself would participate. However, the specific time and location of this summit have not yet been determined.

When sources revealed the content of the phone call, they stated that because the details were part of non-public negotiations, they requested anonymity. Orbán is a close ally of Trump and is seen as an important spiritual symbol of Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement and global right-wing populism. He has long caused great frustration within the EU, pushing Hungary further towards authoritarianism and repeatedly supporting Russia diplomatically, opposing EU sanctions against Russia, and frequently blocking aid plans for Ukraine.

The spokesperson for Orbán's office has not yet responded to media inquiries. This call took place after Trump, Zelenskyy, and European country leaders had held a several-hour meeting at the White House. These European leaders specifically traveled to Washington to stand with Zelenskyy in advocating for a common position on peace negotiations, and the timing of this meeting coincided shortly after Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska last week.

Under this context, Trump made two calls: one to Putin and another to Orbán, which was first disclosed. The call to Orbán took place after the EU leaders held an emergency meeting in the White House's Oval Office. Orbán did not confirm the call, and White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt today also refused to reveal whether Budapest, the capital of Hungary, had been included as a possible location for the Putin-Zelenskyy summit, with multiple locations still under consideration.

The report mentioned that on Tuesday, Orbán posted on Facebook stating that he had heard voices from the outside world demanding Ukraine's EU membership, but he had no intention of compromising. He emphasized, "Ukraine's EU membership will not bring any actual security guarantees, so linking the issue of EU membership with security guarantees is not only redundant but also dangerous."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841016982894663/

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