‘Better chance than ever’ for Ukraine peace – Budapest

Donald Trump’s presumed victory in the US presidential election increases the chances of a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said.

The diplomat made the statement on Wednesday as the Republican appeared on the verge of beating his Democratic rival Kamala Harris. The latest media projections show Trump having crossed the threshold of 270 electoral college votes needed to secure victory.

As part of his election campaign, the former US president vowed to end the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of being elected. In a post on social media, Szijjarto expressed hope that Trump would deliver on his promise.

“We share similar views on peace… and there is a better chance than ever that after nearly 1,000 days, peace will finally return to Ukraine!” Szijjarto said on Facebook.

“During Donald Trump’s first presidency (2017-2021), the political relations between Hungary and the US were at their peak, with dialogue and negotiations coming to the forefront in resolving conflicts that threatened world security,” added the diplomat.

Hungary’s position on the conflict between Moscow and Kiev has been an outlier in the EU. It has refused to send weapons to Ukraine and has called for negotiations.

This past summer, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban traveled to Moscow to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of his “peace mission.” He also visited Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev, Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, Orban’s outreach drew sharp criticism from officials in Brussels.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has been the largest provider of military assistance to Kiev. Since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022, Washington has committed approximately $56.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, according to the Department of Defense.

Trump’s plan to resolve the conflict reportedly involves pressuring Kiev to make territorial concessions to Russia and abandon its aspirations to join NATO. It’s widely believed that a Trump administration would be far more reluctant to grant Ukraine more military aid, limiting its ability to continue the fight.

Moscow has voiced doubts that Trump will be able to deliver on this promise to quickly end the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Wednesday that it was “impossible” to resolve the conflict “overnight.”

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