In a sprawling interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that ending the war in Ukraine would be the only path to Donald Trump’s reelection to the U.S. Presidency.
Orbán, a nationalist, lauded Trump’s approach to foreign policy in the interview, which was published on Carlson’s page on X, previously referred to as Twitter. In contrast, he strongly criticized President Joe Biden’s administration and its handling of the war.
Orbán argued, “It is a falsehood” that Ukraine could overpower Russia, dismissing any notion that the conflict could only be resolved by the return of the former president to office, despite facing criminal charges for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election, Trump.
Hungary’s prime minister expressed, “The Russians are significantly more powerful and vastly more populous than the Ukrainians. Trump is the individual who possesses the ability to rescue the Western world. Summon Trump.”
Orbán’s view of the state of war conflicts and how Ukrainian and U.S. Officials characterize the prospects for taking back the territory invaded by Russian occupation
Speaking to reporters last week, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that the administration does not evaluate the conflict as a stalemate.
Sullivan stated, “We are witnessing the continuation of our efforts to support Ukraine as part of this counteroffensive, based on a systematic and methodical approach to seizing territory.”
In 2021, while Carlson served as a host for Fox News, his show aired from the capital city of Hungary for a week. Carlson’s subsequent 30-minute video discussion with the conservative leader, recorded on August 21 on the luxurious terrace of Orbán’s office with a view of Budapest, marked his second interview in two years.
At the time, he praised Orbán’s “illiberal democracy” — a system that eschews traditional liberal values in favor of a conservative Christian rule, following it as a model for the United States.
Orbán has long been criticized for overseeing an increasingly autocratic system, with numerous international observers and the U.S. Department of State, as well as the European Union, alleging that he has manipulated the election system to ensure his hold on power and seized control of the judiciary and media, rolling back minority rights.
In the new interview with Carlson, Orbán criticized Trump’s multiple indictments, which also include the alleged mishandling of classified documents, as an unimaginable abuse of power by the U.S. Government.
He stated, “Utilizing the legal system to target political adversaries — in Hungary, I believe it is unfathomable.” “That was executed by the Communists. It is a highly Communist approach to carry out such actions.”
“We are treated more poorly than the Russians. What is that regarding?” Expressing that despite Hungary’s membership in NATO and alliance with the U.S., He also lamented the attempts made by Biden’s State Department to encourage Hungary’s government to enhance its adherence to the principles of law and respect for human rights.
Since Russia’s incursion into Ukraine in February 2022, Orbán’s administration has upheld its strong connections with Moscow and has issued warnings about impeding EU penalties on Russia.
Without providing a vision of what territorial integrity means for Ukraine, but in the context of the conflict, talks for peace and an immediate cease-fire have been called for, and Orbán, known as Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the EU, has refused to allow the transfer of Western weapons across Hungary’s shared border with Ukraine.
Since visiting Hungary last, Carlson was ousted by Fox News network after agreeing to settle a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over false claims aired during the 2020 presidential election, paying more than $787 million.