Orban predicts US will abandon Ukraine
4 Min Read
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's forecast of a shift in US foreign policy follows Donald Trump's victory in this week's presidential election.
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Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives at an event commemorating the 75th anniversary of NATO at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium at the NATO summit in Washington, on July 9, 2024. (AP)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that US President-elect Donald Trump will withdraw the US from the Ukraine war, leaving EU leaders in a “difficult and uncomfortable position.”
“The situation on the front line is obvious. It’s a military defeat. The Americans will get out of this war,” Orban told Kossuth Radio on Friday. He also noted that “Europe alone cannot finance this war.”
Orban added that while some EU leaders still want to continue funding the war, their opinions are increasingly silent, and others are calling for a policy reassessment.
He also pointed out that nations advocating for de-escalation and dialogue, such as Hungary, Slovakia, and the Vatican, have been "vindicated."
Orban's forecast of a shift in US foreign policy follows Donald Trump's victory in this week's presidential election. Trump had previously stated that he could end the Ukraine war within 24 hours.
The Hungarian prime minister anticipates significant global changes after Trump's win, describing it as so momentous that “it can be seen not only from the Moon, but also from Mars.”
Orban remarked that politicians advocating for a Ukrainian victory now find themselves in a difficult position, although they had always known such an outcome was possible. Earlier this year, Orban undertook a “peace mission,” meeting with key figures in the war, including trips to Kiev, Moscow, Beijing, and the US, where he discussed the matter with both President Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Budapest later sent a report to other EU member states advising them to prepare for a potential shift in Ukraine policy, noting that “there is no reason for any leader to say that they were surprised,” Orban concluded.
Pentagon says expects Trump to maintain Biden's Ukraine commitments
The US Department of Defense has announced that it will continue providing military aid to Ukraine until the end of President Joe Biden’s term, aiming to exhaust the remaining allocated funds for supplies before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.
The White House is set to fast-track weapons deliveries to Ukraine, according to reports from Reuters and Politico on Wednesday. Citing unnamed US officials, the reports underscored concerns that, even with President Biden’s approval of further aid, the Pentagon could face delays in delivering the equipment, potentially taking months. This delay raises fears that the incoming president could halt the shipments at any time.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said on Thursday that, despite some equipment being out of stock or requiring more time for delivery, the Defense Department anticipates that President-elect Trump will not block any aid packages already approved by President Biden. She clarified that the Pentagon still has around $4 billion in military aid available for Ukraine through the previously committed Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) and about $2 billion through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).
“When it comes to presidential drawdown packages, some things can arrive within days and weeks. Some items in those packages take longer. It does matter on what’s available on our shelves,” Singh said.
Furthermore, Singh assured that military aid packages for Ukraine will continue to be dispatched in the coming weeks, stating, “You’re going to continue to see packages roll out before the end of this administration.”
When questioned about whether the Pentagon has sufficient weapons and equipment in stock to utilize the remaining allocated funds before January 20, Singh sidestepped, saying, “We’re always constantly backfilling and restocking our shelves.”
She declined to give specifics, adding, “I’m not going to get into an Excel spreadsheet of what we have on our shelves, but we’re committed to providing Ukraine what it needs, including that $4 billion in authority. We are going to use it, and the president has committed to that.”
Since February 2022, the US Congress has authorized over $174 billion in military and other forms of aid to support the war in Ukraine.
Read more: Ex-CIA analyst: US deeply immersed in Ukraine war from outset
