Expert on Budapest Peace Summit: Viktor Orban’s Policy Bears Fruit

A historic decision has been made: at the proposal of the U.S. President, Budapest will host the Putin–Trump Peace Summit. According to Bank Levente Boros, Director of Political Analysis at the Nezopont Institute, Hungary’s selection as the venue is no coincidence — it is a clear acknowledgement of Viktor Orban’s peace policy.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP)

Hosting Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Budapest carries enormous prestige. The meeting could even lead to an agreement that brings the world closer to ending the Russia–Ukraine war. Bank Levente Boros emphasized that this decision validates PM Orban’s peace-oriented foreign policy and rebukes Western Europe’s pro-war stance, according to Origo.

The choice of venue legitimizes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's peace policy (Photo: AFP)

The expert noted that it is highly significant Trump chose Budapest for the meeting, as the Hungarian capital has never before hosted a peace summit.
“Two world powers — or, more precisely, two great powers — will meet in Budapest,” Boros said, “and this location is mutually suitable for them to continue negotiations aimed at reaching peace.” He added that beyond symbolism, there are practical foreign policy reasons for this choice.

In part the reason for the venue," he explained, "lies in the fact that since the very first moment of the Russian–Ukrainian conflict, Hungary has consistently stood on the side of peace and has never wavered from that position. Both Viktor Orban and the Hungarian government have taken a consistent stance toward everyone and even against anyone when necessary,

he said.

Boros stressed that this meeting, being a peace negotiation, already carries a powerful message in itself — namely, that Russia is likely open to a ceasefire and peace under the right conditions, while the United States, under Trump, has also pursued a peace agenda since the start of his presidency. “Now, the intentions of the two sides may finally converge,” he added.

Under successive Orban governments, Hungarian foreign policy has consistently sought dialogue with all sides, Boros continued, citing this posture as the other likely reason for Budapest as the choice.

No bridges should be burned in any direction, and productive relations must be maintained with all countries that are important from Hungary’s perspective. Both the U.S. and Russia represent a similar stance,

he noted.

President Trump and President Putin continue to have a relationship of trust (Photo: AFP/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)

Putin still maintains a relationship of trust with the U.S. President, and Viktor Orban maintains good relations with the Russian leader as well. This combination cannot be said of any other European country, which makes Budapest a logical choice for both sides.

 Boros pointed out.

Bank Levente Boros recalled reports saying that the idea of holding the meeting in Budapest came from Donald Trump, to which Putin immediately agreed — “essentially without hesitation”.

Both leaders, he added, see Hungary as a mutually suitable and neutral location for the peace talks.

Asked how Brussels and Western European capitals might react, the expert replied:

I think every country in the world — and especially those in Europe — may now be looking on Hungary with envy.

He suggested that a key question now is whether the EU and major Western powers will again be excluded from the talks. “The choice of location sends at least as strong a message to Europe as does the list of participants,” he said. “After all, the meeting isn’t taking place in a Western European capital — it’s being held in Budapest.”

Considering that a location in Europe was chosen instead of somewhere else in the world, that too is a message to Brussels and Western Europe,“namely, that the two presidents do not see them as suitable hosts, for various reasons, but partly because of their pro-war policies.

The Budapest summit is also a message to Brussels and Western Europe that the two leaders no longer regard them as appropriate partners for peace efforts. (Photo: AFP/Frederick Florin)

Orban Has Stood by Trump From the Start 

Bank Levente Boros pointed out that Western Europe, including Brussels, never viewed Trump’s presidency as an opportunity for cooperation, but instead doubled down on opposing him.

First they dismissed him,then they pursued a completely different path — a policy of war. The war psychosis still dominating Brussels and Western Europe stands in stark contrast to what Trump and likely Putin now represent.

According to Boros, Western Europe and Brussels have taken a one-sided stance in the conflict, aligning entirely with Ukraine. “As a result,” he said, “it’s understandable that Putin would find other European venues unacceptable — as well as that attitude itself.”

This is yet another message to Western Europe and Brussels,” he concluded, “a reminder that they are being sidelined — and perhaps it’s time to stop their childish defiance toward Trump and Putin and abandon their one-sided, pro-war Ukraine policy.

Boros warned that if they don’t, “history will pass them by, just as it has in recent months — only now, at least, decisions will finally be made.”

The choice of location is both an acknowledgement of Viktor Orban’s peace policy and a rebuke of Western Europe’s pro-war stance,

he summarized.

“We need a peace plan — the war plans should be thrown out the window.”

Cover photo: Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP)