Former President Donald Trump intends to end the war in Ukraine by ending the military assistance that Ukrainian forces require to fight Russia’s invasion, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“He has a very clear vision that is hard to disagree with. He says the following: first, he will not give a single penny for the Russo-Ukrainian war,” Orban told Hungarian state media. “That’s why the war will end, because it’s obvious that Ukraine cannot stand on its own two feet.”
Orban offered that prognostication after returning to Budapest from the United States, where he met with American conservatives at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., and visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman allowed that “it is not clear” what Trump’s plan might be, but he welcomed Pope Francis’s suggestion that Ukraine show “a white flag” in a bid for peace.
“He was speaking out in favor of negotiations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of Pope Francis, according to state-run TASS. “Unfortunately, the pope’s remarks and numerous statements by other parties, us included, have recently been stumbling into a wall of rejection from the [Ukrainian government].”
Pope Francis implied that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should conclude that Ukraine has been “defeated” and negotiate an end to the conflict.
“But I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates,” the pope told a Swiss broadcaster. “The word negotiate is a courageous word. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate.”
Vatican officials subsequently maintained that the pope did not intend to suggest that Ukraine surrender, but instead was repeating the “white flag” term used by the interviewer. The pope was trying to express that he feels “concerned at the loss of life and the injuries being sustained by Ukraine, and believes it is necessary to negotiate,” as a Vatican official told America magazine.
The pontiff’s remarks infuriated Ukrainian officials and drew opposition across Europe. “I think some things you can only understand if you see them for yourself,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Monday, referring to the suffering caused by Russia’s invasion. If Ukraine and its Western backers “don’t show strength now, there will be no peace. We must stand by Ukraine and do everything we can to ensure that it can defend itself.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg likewise maintained that a peace deal at Ukraine’s expense would backfire.
“If we want a negotiated peaceful lasting solution, the way to get there is to provide military support to Ukraine,” he said. “It’s not the time to talk about surrender by the Ukrainians. That will be a tragedy for the Ukrainians. It will also be dangerous for all of us.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Orban, for his part, predicted that European powers would reverse course if Trump were to win the White House and cut off assistance to Ukraine.
“If the Americans don’t give money and weapons along with the Europeans, the war will end,” Orban said. “And if the Americans don’t give money, then the Europeans won’t be able to fund this war alone. And then the war will end.”
