PM Orban and Hungary Take Center Stage in Peace-Making

Zoltan Kiszelly, Director of Political Analysis at the Szazadveg Foundation, in an interview with Magyar Nemzet, analyzed the significance of the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest. According to Kiszelly, the meeting—set to take place in the Hungarian capital—is not merely an event of diplomacy, but a key milestone in Hungary’s peace efforts, one that strengthens the country’s role and weight on the international stage. He said the meeting serves as a validation of Viktor Orban’s peace mission launched last year and is also a slap in the face to the European Union’s pro-war policy.

Orbán Viktor magyar miniszterelnök és Donald Trump amerikai elnök (Fotó: AFP)

Kiszelly noted that PM Orban had informed Hungary’s allies in a letter about the findings of his mission—details of the letter he sent to NATO were later leaked.

Commenting on the upcoming meeting, the analyst said,

This is a giant success for Hungary and for our pro-peace policy, and a huge blow to the war-hungry policies of the European People’s Party (EPP) and their member the Tisza Party,

Regarding Hungary’s growing diplomatic importance, Kiszelly pointed out that Trump did not invite Ursula von der Leyen to the Peace Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, and now, once again, the EU is absent from the talks in Budapest.

We saw that Trump didn’t invite Von der Leyen to Sharm el-Sheikh—the EU was not present, there were only six European leaders there. And now again, here in Budapest, Trump is meeting with Putin,

Kiszelly said. In his view, this shows that Hungary is gaining strength through its role in global peace platforms, while the EU’s pro-war stance is becoming increasingly marginalized. He added that while an agreement might be signed at the meeting, caution is necessary, as the Minsk agreements showed that even with ceasefires, conflict can still continue.

The real question is what the pro-war European politicians will push Zelensky to do—whether they’ll let him honor an agreement. But the key point is: peace is being given a chance in Budapest.

Kiszelly also commented on the broader context of the talks: Trump is expected to meet on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is seeking to secure Tomahawk missiles, though Russia’s threats make that move dangerously escalatory.

From this perspective, some kind of de-escalation or step toward negotiations is to be expected,

the analyst predicted. He added that Trump is putting pressure on Russia—for instance, through tariffs related to India’s purchases of Russian oil—while Putin continues to demand Ukraine’s neutrality.