Macron invites Orbán to discuss Ukraine ahead of key EU summit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will hold talks with the French president in Paris on Wednesday at the invitation of Emmanuel Macron, ahead of an important EU defence summit.

According to Telex, as reported to the Hungarian news agency MTI by the Prime Minister's Communications Department, the main topic of the talks between Macron and Orbán will be the war between Russia and Ukraine.

On Sunday, 2 March leaders or diplomatic representatives of 18 countries met in London under the leadership of UK PM Keir Starmer and French President Macron to discuss EU security issues. This followed a fierce verbal exchange between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday and the subsequent announcement that America would cut off military aid to Ukraine.

The Hungarian prime minister did not attend Sunday's meeting. Orbán later said that London had decided to continue the war in Ukraine.

European leaders reacted to the news of the suspension of US military aid to Ukraine by presenting the ReArm Europe programme, which could mobilise up to €800bn for defence, by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

On 6 March, EU leaders will gather for a summit dedicated to strengthening Europe's defence.

On the eve of the summit, Hungary threatened to block the inclusion of a reference to support for Ukraine in its final statement.

The Hungarian government supported the decision of the US President Donald Trump's administration to suspend all military aid to Ukraine.