Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused former US President Joe Biden’s administration of driving the Ukraine conflict by pushing EU member states to adopt a more confrontational line against Russia.
Unlike most other countries in the bloc, Hungary has consistently opposed Brussels’ anti-Russian policies and has called for a more diplomatic approach to put an end to the hostilities. It has also refused to provide weapons to Kiev and opposed EU sanctions against Moscow.
“Without the pressure coming from the US government – I’m speaking about 2022 – the Europeans would not take that hard line that they have today on the war,” Orban told reporters after a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday.
He emphasized that some major EU economies “rejected to be involved more than just sending some, you know, humanitarian issues.”
“That’s the fact of history,” the prime minister concluded.
Orban’s remarks were echoed by Trump, who responded that the conflict stemmed from mistakes made by his predecessor. The president argued that “Biden actually pushed for that war to happen,” adding that he – Trump – “inherited that mess.”