Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson that Ukraine has no chance of winning the fight against Russia and that President Donald Trump is the Western world’s last hope.
“[It] is not just a misunderstanding. It is a lie. It’s impossible … [Ukrainians] will run out earlier … of soldiers than the Russians. What finally will count is boots on the ground, and the Russians are far stronger.”
The 30-minute video interview Mr. Carlson taped with Mr. Orbán on the terrace of his office overlooking Budapest on Aug. 21 was his second with the conservative leader in the past two years. In 2021, Mr. Carlson’s Fox News show moved its broadcast location to the Hungarian capital for a week.
At the time, the TV host held up Orbán’s “illiberal democracy” as an example for the United States to emulate. The system rejects liberal ideals in favor of conservative Christian governance.
In his recent interview, the Hungarian leader said the Russia-Ukraine conflict can only be stopped by the United States.
“We missed the historic opportunity” to admit Ukraine to NATO. [and] Russia is getting “stronger and stronger.” he said. Ukraine’s admission to NATO “is not a realistic proposal at this moment, so forget about it.”
In Mr. Orbán’s opinion, there is little hope that Crimea will be restored to Ukraine. He also does not think that Russians would grow tired of President Vladimir Putin.
Asked what he would do if he were President Joe Biden and the commander of U.S. forces, Orbán said:
“Call back Trump! Because you know, you can criticize him for many reasons … [but] the best foreign policy of the recent several decades belongs to him.
“He did not initiate any new war, he treated nicely the North Koreans, and Russia and even the Chinese … and if he would have been the president at the moment of the Russian invasion [of Ukraine], it would be not possible to do that by the Russians.”
Mr. Orbán went on to say that, in his opinion, “Trump is the man who can save the Western world” and all of humanity.
During his interview with Mr. Carlson, Mr. Orbán criticized the indictments of President Trump, which include one for allegedly mishandling secret materials, calling it an abuse of U.S. government power that would be inconceivable in Hungary.
“To use the justice system against the political opponents—in Hungary, I think it’s impossible to imagine,” he said.
“That was done by the Communists. It’s a very Communist methodology to do that.”
Since he took office in 2010, Mr. Orbán has been accused of implementing racist legislation by other European leaders and has been blamed for divisive and oppressive political beliefs.
However, the Hungarian leader also hasn’t always agreed with the European Union’s actions.
In July 2022, several months after Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, Mr. Orban asserted that the European Union had “shot itself in the lungs” with their economic sanctions on Russia, asserting they were risking the destruction of the European economy.
The Hungarian prime minister agreed that Ukraine needed help but said European leaders should have reconsidered the strategy.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’s request for comment on the prime minister’s statement.
