Hungary's Orban says Trump's comeback as president 'only serious chance' for end of Ukraine war

ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán confirmed Friday that he will visit Donald Trump in Florida next week, and described a possible comeback by the former U.S. president as the "only serious chance" for an end to the war in Ukraine.

Addressing a diplomacy forum in Turkey, Orbán also suggested that Trump’s possible return to the White House could help end the conflict in Gaza.

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Orban’s meeting with Trump comes as the former U.S. president seeks to turn his attention to his looming election rematch with U.S. President Joe Biden. Trump’s political standing within his own party seems stronger than ever, having easily won the early presidential Republican primary contests.

"The only serious chance for peace is if he’s able to come back and to make peace," Orbán told the forum. "Otherwise, the war between Ukraine and Russia will be long."

Trump’s return "is a precondition for a strong and quick peace in the European continent," he continued.

Orbán said he was convinced that if Trump had been in office when the war in Ukraine started "there would have been no war now."

Commenting on the war in Gaza, the Hungarian prime minister said Trump had an "understanding" of the conflict.

"He did something which generated some hope," Orbán said in reference to the Abraham accords that aimed to normalize ties between Israel and Gulf states.

Orbán and Trump have been long allies and Trump regularly praises the right-wing populist in his campaign speeches.

In April 2023, when charges were filed in the first of Trump’s four criminal cases, Orbán posted a message of support for Trump urging him to "keep on fighting."

Trump in early 2022 said he was giving his "complete support and endorsement" to Orbán’s reelection campaign that year.

"I respect him (Trump) very much," Orbán told the forum in Turkey. "I like mavericks and he is like that."

The two met in August 2022 at Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club when Orbán traveled to the United States to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in Texas.