Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration of fuelling the Ukraine conflict by pressuring European nations to adopt a hardline stance against Russia in 2022.
Speaking to reporters after meeting President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, Orban said Washington’s influence pushed the EU toward confrontation rather than diplomacy.
“Without the pressure coming from the U.S. government, the Europeans would not have taken such a hard line on the war,” Orban said, noting that several major EU countries were initially reluctant to become heavily involved beyond humanitarian aid. He reiterated Hungary’s long-standing opposition to supplying arms to Ukraine and to the bloc’s sanctions against Moscow, calling instead for renewed peace efforts.
Trump backed Orban’s remarks, arguing that Biden “pushed for that war to happen” and left behind “a mess” that heightened global instability. The president has repeatedly claimed that tensions between the US and Russia peaked under Biden and that his administration’s return to diplomacy aims to “restore global balance.”
Moscow has maintained it is open to peace negotiations if the conflict’s underlying causes are addressed. Russian officials have said that a durable settlement, not a temporary ceasefire, is necessary to end the war.
