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Orban says Europe 'cannot bear the burden of war' if Trump wins
If Trump wins the US election, Europe will have to "adapt" and reconsider its support for Ukraine, the Hungarian Prime Minister believes.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Europe would have to reconsider its support for Ukraine if Republican Donald Trump wins the US presidential election.
"For us in Europe, if the United States has a president who is pro-peace, I am not only convinced of that, but I interpret the figures as follows... If that happens and the United States has a president who is pro-peace, then Europe will be in a position where we cannot remain in a position of pro-war," he said (quoted by Reuters).
The prime minister said Europe “cannot bear the burden of war alone” and would have to “adapt” if Trump came to power. Additional support for Ukraine would be discussed at the EU summit in Budapest, Orban said. (Bloomberg previously reported that politicians wanted to invite Trump to the meeting on November 8 if he won, which angered European leaders.)
Orban opposes military aid to Ukraine and has signaled that President Trump shares his views, Reuters reported. The Hungarian leader reiterated his hopes that the Republican Party will defeat Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the U.S. election.
The politician met Trump this summer and discussed Ukraine's "peace mission" during his previous visits to Russia and China. Orban's deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin has drawn criticism from EU leaders, with Brussels stressing that the Hungarian prime minister has no authority to act on behalf of the community.
Europe is concerned about how the results of the US elections will affect the course of military actions in Ukraine and security on the continent, the agency writes. The Washington Post wrote that in the event of Trump's victory, politicians in European countries expect the possibility of America changing its course towards Ukraine, as well as weakening military relations with Washington and the start of a trade war.