“Europeans must immediately and unconditionally support the peace initiative of the United States,” Orbán wrote. “In addition to supporting the U.S. President, we must without delay launch autonomous and direct negotiations with Russia.”
Aside from Hungary, the 26 other EU countries “have repeatedly made their support for Ukraine clear and that it is unequivocal,” said an EU official granted anonymity to respond to the letter. “There is intense engagement and coordination among European leaders, also with non-EU partners, to continue that support in light of recent developments.”
At the same time, Orbán said in the letter that Hungary “does not support the European Union sending any further financial assistance to Ukraine in any form” and “does not consent to such a decision being taken in the name and framework of the EU.”
Officials in Brussels are currently holding talks with member countries over how to leverage the use of immobilized Russian assets to issue a €140 billion reparations loan for Ukraine. The issue is on the agenda to be signed off at a meeting of leaders in Brussels on Dec. 18.
“For Ukraine, a swift agreement on the Reparations Loan is essential,” Ukraine’s ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov, told POLITICO. “It provides predictable funding from the cash balances of immobilized Russian sovereign assets, ensures stability from early 2026, and does so without additional costs for EU taxpayers.”
Budapest has consistently tried to block much-needed military and financial aid for the Kyiv’s defense efforts, while strengthening Hungary’s ties with the Kremlin and opposing sanctions designed to drain Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war chest. However, Hungary has also previously been blindsided by U.S. President Donald Trump’s changing rhetoric on Moscow and was forced to negotiate an exemption to new U.S. restrictions on Russian oil.