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A surprising trinity of Donald Trump, Hungary’s right-wing prime minister Viktor Orban and Pope Francis could spell the end to hopes for continued support for Ukraine in fighting the war against Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
The Independent has spoken to Hungary’s ambassador to the Vatican, Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen, who has been critical in attempting to create an international coalition to find a so-called “peace deal” to end the war.
He has spoken about how Pope Francis has played an important role in supporting a deal which will probably see Mr Trump push for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to cede territory to Russia.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer held talks in Paris with French president Emmanuel Macron on Monday. Ukraine and the need for a European security pact as part of a post-Brexit reset was at the top of the agenda as the leaders vowed to ensure support for Kyiv continued.
Earlier, defence secretary John Healey defiantly rejected claims Trump will reverse the current Ukraine policy. He told Sky News: “I don’t expect the US to turn away from Nato. They recognise the importance of the alliance. They recognise the importance of avoiding further conflict in Europe.”
The Pope, along with Hungary, has called for a ceasefire and talks “to break the cycle” of war and achieve peace. Mr Orban is seen as being the closest EU leader to Putin, even visiting Moscow over the summer, while he has also been against providing Kyiv with weapons and funds.
Last week at the European Political Community summit, Mr Orban boasted of how “the world is changing” with Trump re-elected as he renewed his demands for a Ukrainian ceasefire.
The clash with Mr Zelensky, who was at the summit, saw the Ukrainian leader note that the Hungarian prime minister is the one Nato member state leader to oppose Ukraine’s membership of the defence alliance.
Since his election less than a week ago, Mr Trump is already reported to have had a telephone conversation with Putin warning him “not to escalate the war” before his inauguration.
Having made several trips to visit Mr Trump at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Mr Orban has gone from being mostly internationally isolated on the war to now being the closest ally to the president elect in Europe.
Speaking to The Independent, Mr Habsburg-Lothringen said: “During Donald Trump’s first presidency, Hungarian-American political relations were at their peak, with dialogue and negotiations taking centre stage in resolving conflicts that threaten world security.
“Following the decision of the American electorate a few days ago, we really have good hope that Hungarian-American political cooperation will return to its peak: we share similar views on peace, illegal immigration and the protection of families. I believe there is a better chance than ever that peace will finally return to Ukraine after almost a thousand days of war.”
The Pope recently made a visit to Hungary and has told Mr Habsburg-Lothringen, that his affinity to the eastern European country came from a group of nuns from the country who lived in Argentina after fleeing following the Russian invasion in 1956.
Now, with their shared view over bringing an early end to the war, he believes the Pope will support a peace deal opposed by all the other western allies in Nato.
“For the last years, Hungary has been fighting a lonely fight for immediate ceasefire and peace in Ukraine. Being a direct neighbour and having a Hungarian minority inside Ukraine gives us a very clear vision. The only ally was the Holy Father Pope Francis, who spoke in the same direction and engaged in peace diplomacy.
“With the new President Trump we have an ally who has clearly stated, even in his speech during election night, that he wanted to end the wars, which also means the one in Ukraine. This fills me with hope.”
He added: “You can say a lot of things about Donald Trump, you may even dislike him, but there is one thing that nobody questions: that he will not start a war. I see him as a man who hates war, and as a real businessman, who thinks that everything will be better if there is no war.”
In a previous interview with The Independent, the ambassador outlined what Hungary and the Vatican’s position has been on talks.
“As long as nobody talks with Russia, a real dialogue doesn’t happen. The Vatican strongly encourages a climate of talking everybody to everybody, and I believe that this would be the step forward. That’s as I said, before Pope Francis and Viktor Orban both asked for immediate ceasefire and immediate peace negotiations.”
