Orbán's advisor says Trump must call Putin to accelerate ending war in Ukraine

Balázs Orbán, political director and close advisor to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, believes that US President-elect Donald Trump should call Russian leader Vladimir Putin to open a communication line with Russia and encourage a ceasefire in Ukraine. 

Source: Balázs Orbán in an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Budapest, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Orbán believes that all communication channels with Russia should be restored as soon as possible.

Commenting on Trump's statements about being able to "end the war in 24 hours", Orbán said that this would likely be a challenging process.

Quote: "The peacemaker process is, diplomatically, a very complex issue, which should be first about restoring communication channels, then secondly talk about a short-term cease-fire. The sooner we start it, the better for everyone."

According to Orbán, the Hungarian and US leaders, who have often praised their friendly relations, have spoken by phone after Trump's election victory. 

The Hungarian prime minister marked the event with a social media post mentioning "great plans" with Trump, without specifying what these plans may entail.

Balázs Orbán explained that these plans include a different European approach to Ukraine.

Bloomberg noted that Viktor Orbán had previously raised the idea of revisiting the G7-approved US$50 billion credit for Ukraine, which was passed despite Hungary's repeated attempts to block it in the EU.

The Hungarian PM's advisor predicted that after Trump takes office, the US might reassess the arrangement.

"A different mindset requires a different asset management from the American side," he concluded.

Background:

• Following the European Political Community summit, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believes Trump wants a quick end to the war, but it may come at a cost for Ukraine.
• Recently, Trump hinted that he might speak with Putin, and the Russian publication Verstka reported that Putin informally congratulated Trump on his election victory, allegedly doing so "through acquaintances".

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