As Bloomberg learned, US leader Donald Trump recently demanded explanations from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as to why he is preventing Ukraine from joining the European Union.
Points of attention
- Details of the discussions between Trump and Orban have not been publicly disclosed, but there are implications for Ukraine's European integration efforts.
- Orban has not publicly commented on the conversation with Trump but has voiced opposition to linking Ukraine's EU membership to security guarantees.
What is known about Trump and Orban's talks on Ukraine?
According to journalists, they took place on August 18 after the US president met with European leaders at the White House.
It was the latter who complained to Donald Trump that Viktor Orban was blocking Ukraine's European integration without any good reason.
Almost immediately, the American leader decided to clarify relations with the Hungarian Prime Minister.
The call to the Hungarian Prime Minister took place after an additional, unscheduled meeting of EU leaders in the Oval Office, the agency reports.
Specific details of these negotiations have not yet been disclosed.
According to insiders, during his conversation with Trump, Orban also expressed interest in hosting a summit between Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
What is important to understand is that the Hungarian leader himself has not publicly spoken about the conversation with the US president, but he opposes linking Ukraine's membership in the EU to issues of security guarantees for it.
