U.S. President Donald Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Aug. 19 after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders in Washington D.C.
According to sources cited by Bloomberg, European leaders urged Trump to pressure Orban into dropping his opposition to Ukraine’s EU accession talks. Kyiv has sought EU membership as part of a broader package of security guarantees aimed at deterring further Russian aggression if a truce is reached.
Orban, whose government is widely seen as authoritarian, has repeatedly obstructed Ukraine’s EU path and has been accused of shielding Russia within the bloc.
During the call, Hungary reportedly expressed interest in hosting a future round of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky, Bloomberg said. Trump later announced plans to arrange a summit between the two leaders, followed by a trilateral meeting with himself. The timing and location remain undecided.
Hungary could potentially host the first Zelensky-Putin talks since 2019, Reuters reported on Aug. 19, citing a U.S. administration source. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added the same day that the two leaders could meet within two weeks, saying the breakthrough came after Trump phoned Putin during a pause in the Washington talks.
“The American president spoke with the Russian president and agreed that there would be a meeting between the Russian president and the Ukrainian president within the next two weeks,” Merz said.
According to AFP, Putin told Trump he was open to meeting Zelensky. Still, Merz cautioned that “persuasion is needed” to ensure the Russian leader follows through.
Orban did not confirm the call with Trump, and the White House declined to say whether Budapest is being considered as a summit venue. On Aug. 19, the Hungarian prime minister posted on Facebook that linking Ukraine’s EU membership with security guarantees was "unnecessary and dangerous."
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