Hungary’s Viktor Orbán visited Trump following NATO summit and Putin meeting

Former President Donald Trump is set to meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Florida on Thursday, according to sources familiar with the matter. This meeting comes less than a week after Orbán’s visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, raising concerns about Orbán potentially acting as an intermediary between Putin and Trump.

During Trump’s first term, he and Putin often expressed mutual admiration, drawing bipartisan criticism. Recently, Trump has claimed that, if elected to a second term, he could persuade Putin to end the war in Ukraine and secure the release of Americans detained in Russia.

Orbán will head to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort following the NATO summit in Washington. His visit to Moscow was a significant topic at the summit, where NATO allies pledged additional air defenses to support Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

According to one source familiar with Orbán’s visit, Trump has not asked the Hungarian leader to facilitate any Ukraine-Russia peace deal. The visit, scheduled just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, is described as an informal gathering.

Orbán also visited President Xi Jinping in China this week, following a trip to Azerbaijan earlier this month. Trump campaign spokespeople and representatives for the Hungarian government have not yet commented on the upcoming meeting.

Hungary assumed the European Union’s rotating presidency on July 1, and EU officials have criticized Orbán’s recent travels, arguing they could undermine the bloc’s positions on global issues. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg clarified on CBS News’s Face the Nation that Orbán’s visit to Moscow was not on behalf of NATO, noting, “Different NATO allies interact with Moscow in different ways.”

Orbán and Trump have developed a close relationship, with Orbán visiting Mar-a-Lago in March. During that visit, Trump gave Orbán a tour of his residence, hosted a dinner with former First Lady Melania Trump, held a meeting with senior aides, and enjoyed a musical performance by a band covering Roy Orbison songs.

President Joe Biden has criticized Orbán’s relationship with Trump, suggesting that Orbán “doesn’t think democracy works” and is “looking for dictatorship.” The Biden administration has also voiced concerns over Orbán’s friendly relations with Putin and legislation in Hungary that the State Department warned could “intimidate and punish” critics of Orbán’s government.