Orban meets Trump in Florida after NATO summit

Hungary's nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, met former US president Donald Trump in Florida on Thursday after the NATO summit in Washington.

In recent weeks, Orban has also paid controversial visits to Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping as part of a self-described "peace mission".

"We discussed ways to make peace," Orban said Thursday evening on X, accompanied by a photo of the two leaders at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence. "The good news of the day: he's going to solve it!" he said.

Donald Trump and Viktor Orban share a mutual admiration and have met several times. The slogan for Hungary's six-month EU presidency is "Make Europe Great Again", a direct inspiration from Trump's "Make America Great Again".

Since July 1, Hungary has held the rotating presidency of the EU Council, a role that coordinates legislative work but does not allow it to speak on behalf of Europeans on the international stage.

At the Washington summit, Orban barely spoke to the press and appeared isolated, challenged by several European leaders who denounced his trip to Moscow last week.

Trump's shadow hovered over the NATO summit, and Orban's visit comes against the backdrop of questions over whether Joe Biden will continue to run for a second term in November.

^{© PHOTO HANDOUT / X ACCOUNT OF HUNGARY'S PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN @PM_ViktorOrban / AFP}