Paris (TDI): Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, questioned the French President, Emmanuel Macron, over his pro-war stance on Ukraine.
He disagreed with the French President on the modalities of peace in Ukraine.
The Hungarian Prime Minister was welcomed by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris ahead of the extraordinary European Union summit, which was attended by 27 European Union leaders.
In the talks that lasted for hours, the French President and Hungarian Prime Minister discussed the political and economic relations, as well as the future of Europe’s security.
Both leaders reaffirmed that their relations remain “extremely good and strong.”
However, regarding the strategy to tackle the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán disagreed with the French President on arming Ukraine with more weapons.
Similar to the United States, he favored to end the war through peaceful means.
My meetings in France confirmed that while we may disagree on the modalities of peace, we do agree that we must strengthen the defence capabilities of European nations, & these efforts should empower member states rather than Brussels bureaucrats. pic.twitter.com/FDdZTuOnb8
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) March 6, 2025
According to the Government of Hungary, Prime Minister Orbán said, “I would like to know that, seeing as the warring parties have failed to defeat Russia and help Ukraine to victory in three years with the US in the pro-war corner, why they think they can win this war now that the US is not there and so the pro-war camp is a lot weaker?”
Read More: UK, France, Ukraine Agree on Ceasefire Plan for Russia-Ukraine Conflict
On Wednesday, the Hungarian Prime Minister had welcomed US-Russia talks to bring peace to Ukraine.
He said, “We have all been living in the shadow of war for three years, and we now have the best hope for peace replacing war.” He disagreed with those European Union member states who had decided that “Ukraine must continue the war”.
He said, “We believe that continuing the war in Ukraine is bad, dangerous, and a mistake.”
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that he had welcomed and voted in favor of the UN Security Council resolution, presented by the United States.
“US had taken a pro-peace position, the difference in positions between those that want peace and those that want war cannot be bridged with communications,” he noted.
Earlier, in a letter to the President of the European Council, António Costa, PM Orbán had recommended that the EU should follow US President Donald Trump’s policy and start peace negotiations with Russia.
Regarding the setting up of a new €20 billion fund to purchase air defense equipment and missiles for Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister commented that setting up such a fund would require a unanimous decision, which was not possible without Hungary’s support.
Read More: PM Starmer hosts Summit on Ukraine, signs £1.6bn Defence Deal
On Tuesday, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, had a discussion with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio.
“The secretary of state informed me that the US has temporarily suspended military support to Ukraine. And I informed him that in Europe, especially in its western part, there was some scheming underway against Donald Trump and his peace plan,” he said.
He further stated that “it was wrong and unfair” to label the countries who stand up for peace as the supporters of Russia.
He also thanked the US government for terminating the payment of USAID funding, saying that the fund aimed at “interfering with the internal affairs of other states,” and was a “policy that made the world suffer for four years under the previous US Democrat administration”
