Hungary's leader Orbán predicts Trump will end support for Ukraine in comments before EU summit

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Donald Trump's biggest European fan, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, predicted on Friday that a new U.S. administration under Trump will cease providing support to Ukraine in its fight against Russia's full-scale invasion.

Orbán's comments were a signal that Trump's recent election could drive a wedge among European Union leaders on the question of the war.

Hungary's leader hosted the second of two days of summits on Friday in the capital, Budapest, just days after Trump's election victory. The war in Ukraine was high on the agenda for the gathering of the EU's 27 leaders, most of whom believe continuing to supply Kyiv with weapons and financial assistance are key elements for the continent's security.

The nationalist Hungarian leader has long sought to undermine EU support for Ukraine, and routinely blocked, delayed or watered down the bloc’s efforts to provide weapons and funding and to sanction Moscow for its invasion. He has sought to use the summits to make his case to other leaders that they should rethink their commitments to the war-ravaged country.