Hungary’s right-wing Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, will meet with Donald Trump in his Mar-a-lago compound in Florida Thursday night after the NATO summit concludes in Washington, according to a person familiar with the plans, Time reported. This comes less than a week after the Hungarian leader met with Russian President Vladamir Putin in Moscow.
The last time Orbán met with Trump, in early March, the nationalist prime minister offered his support for Trump’s presidential bid. The two have cultivated a close relationship: Orbán’s last visit included tour of Trump’s residence, a dinner with Melania Trump, an hour-long meeting with senior aides and a musical performance, Time reported.
However, what the former president didn’t offer Orbán was any talk of more aid for the war in Ukraine. At the time, Orbán told reporters that Trump had in fact promised that he would “not give a penny” to Ukraine, Le Monde reported.
Although the purpose of this meeting is not known, the war in Ukraine will be a topic of discussion, a source told Reuters. Thursday’s meeting is the last stop on what Orbán has described is his “peace mission,” to find a way to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, which the Hungarian leader has said he hopes that Trump can help achieve, the Associated Press reported.
Orbán is the European Union’s longest-serving leader and has gained notoriety for his strident conservative beliefs and authoritarian governance, or what he calls “illiberal democracy," which has included crackdowns on press freedom, immigration and the LGBTQ+ community.
The Hungarian prime minister met with Putin at the Kremlin earlier this month as part of what he portrayed as a "peace mission," The Guardian reported.
