Trump and Orbán conclude their question-and-answer session at the White House. The main conclusions from their statements

US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán concluded their joint question-and-answer session with journalists, held in the Cabinet Room at the White House, after a series of questions related to the war in Ukraine, sanctions and relations with Russia.

Here are the main conclusions from their discussions:

• Trump praised Orbán, calling him “special” and confirming that the two leaders would hold detailed talks on the war in Ukraine.
• Orbán described the conflict as “the most important issue for us,” stressing Hungary’s interest in supporting peace efforts.
• Asked about Hungary’s purchases of Russian oil, Trump said he was “looking into the situation” and suggested that other European states deserved more attention for their similar trade with Russia.
• There was a slightly awkward moment when Trump asked Orbán if he still believed Ukraine could win the war. Orbán replied: “A miracle could happen.”
• Trump explained that a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest was canceled because “Russia doesn’t want to stop yet,” but confirmed that he still wanted a summit in the Hungarian capital.
• Before the session, Trump had already hinted at the possibility, telling reporters that “there’s always a chance” that they could meet Putin in Budapest.
• The joint appearance underscored Trump’s desire to position himself as a mediator in the conflict, but also Orbán’s alignment with Washington’s vision of a negotiated solution to peace.

'Russia doesn't want to stop yet': Trump explains why planned meeting with Putin was canceled

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest was canceled because Moscow"is not yet ready to stop" in the war in Ukraine.

The two leaders were supposed to meet in Hungary, following a phone call last month, but Trump decided to cancel the summit, believing that the talks would not have produced significant progress towards a peace agreement.

"The basic problem is they just don't want to stop yet," Trump told reporters."I think they will. I think the war has a huge cost to Russia, a huge cost to both countries, obviously."

Trump reiterated his belief that Russia's invasion of Ukraine would not have happened if he had been president.

“It happened with Biden,” he said, referring to the 2022 invasion.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán agreed with Trump's assessment.

"There is no doubt that if President Trump had been in office, there would have been no war," he said.

Asked if he still hopes to hold a summit with Putin in Budapest, Trump confirmed that he remains open to the idea.

"I would love to do it," he said of a possible future meeting in the Hungarian capital.

Trump added that he and Orbán share the same belief that the war will eventually end:"We agree that the war will end," he said.

"I have some ideas about how this could happen," the Hungarian prime minister told reporters, adding that he planned to present them to Trump during the meeting later in the day.

Orbán says a Ukrainian victory would be a"miracle"

During their meeting at the White House, US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed the war in Ukraine, with both leaders emphasizing the need for peace but also the difficulties facing Kiev.

Trump told reporters that he considers Orbán a person who deeply understands Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I think Viktor understands Vladimir Putin and knows him very well,” he said. “I think Viktor feels that we will be able to end this war in the not-too-distant future.”

Orbán, often described as Putin's closest ally in Europe, said he was"firmly convinced" that the outcome of the war depended largely on Western unity.

"The problem is that the president is making huge efforts, which are splendid and very positive for the European continent and for all the people of Europe. But at the same time, we are not united, because Brussels and the Europeans have a different approach to war. So the only pro-peace governments are the United States government and the little Hungary in Europe."

Orbán added that "all other governments prefer to continue the war" because they believe that Ukraine can still achieve a victory.

At that point, Trump turned to Orbán and asked him if he thought Ukraine could win the war.

Donald Trump:"Would you say Ukraine can't win the war?"

Viktor Orbán: "You know, a miracle can happen."

"Yes, that's right," Trump replied with a slight smile.

Trump: Hungary should not be sanctioned for purchasing Russian oil, due to geographical limitations

In remarks made before a bilateral lunch with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, United States President Donald Trump suggested that Hungary should not face secondary sanctions for purchasing oil from Russia, citing the country's lack of access to seaports as the main constraint.

Trump stressed that Hungary's energy situation is unique compared to other European states and that sanctions would unfairly penalize Budapest for its geographical realities.

"It's a big country, but it's landlocked, it has no ports. So it faces a difficult problem," Trump told reporters ahead of his bilateral lunch with Orbán.

Trump added that other European countries that buy Russian oil do not face the same logistical difficulties.

"They don't have these problems and they buy a lot of oil and gas from Russia. And, as you know, this deeply bothers me," he said.

According to Trump, Hungary's energy dependence on Russia is a consequence of its geographical location, which makes it"very difficult" for the country to obtain oil and gas from other regions. He argued that this aspect should be taken into account when applying or evaluating possible secondary sanctions.

Viktor Orban presented Donald Trump with arguments in favor of using Russian oil

Donald Trump praised Viktor Orban on Friday during a White House meeting that overlooked differences of opinion over Hungary's use of Russian oil and its disputes with other European Union member states over immigration and Ukraine.

Orban, a longtime ally of Trump, sat next to him in the White House Cabinet meeting room, during their first bilateral meeting since the Republican returned to power, and explained why his country needs to use Russian oil, at a time when Trump is pressuring Europe to give up on this.

Orban said that this issue is vital for Hungary, which is a European country, and pledged to present"the consequences for the Hungarian people and for the Hungarian economy of giving up Russian oil and gas."

Hungary has maintained its dependence on Russian energy since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, which has drawn criticism from several European Union and NATO allies.

Hungarian officials said in the run-up to the meeting that Orban intends to discuss a path to a meeting between the US and Russia and seek exemptions from US energy sanctions.

Orbán: The war in Ukraine is"the most important issue for us"

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán described the war in Ukraine as the "most important issue" for his country, in statements made at the White House on Friday.

US President Donald Trump invited Orbán to speak in the Cabinet Room, introducing the Hungarian leader as talks began on strengthening bilateral relations between the United States and Hungary.

“The reason we are here is to open a new chapter in bilateral relations between the United States and Hungary,” he said.

Orbán then emphasized Hungary's interest in supporting diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

"The war in Ukraine is the most important issue for us. We would like to discuss with you how we can contribute to your peace efforts," he said.

Original news – Donald Trump:"I like Romanians, I think Romanians are great people. We have a great relationship with Romania. But we're moving troops around" / Assurances given by the Pentagon

During his White House meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, US President Donald Trump was asked by journalists about the Pentagon's announcement regarding the withdrawal of a significant number of US troops from Romania — a decision that appears to contradict his previous statements.

There are no disagreements between the White House and the Department of Defense

Asked directly whether the Pentagon ignored him or changed its position, Trump firmly replied that there were no disagreements between the White House and the Department of Defense.

Reporter: You said you would not withdraw troops from Europe, but now the Pentagon has announced that it will withdraw a significant number of troops from Romania – what happened, did the Pentagon ignore you or did you change your mind?

Donald Trump: No, the Pentagon doesn't ignore anything I say. We're still making changes, the total is the same, we're just moving more people. I really like Romanians, I think they're a great people. Pete, if you could say something?

Pete Hegseth: Nothing we did was uncoordinated with the White House. It's all part of our perspective on Europe, and there will be troops in Romania; it's just a change in how we rotate.

Donald Trump: The relationship with Romania is very good, right?

Pete Hegseth: Very good. And we coordinated this with Secretary General Rutte, with our allies, everyone was notified and everything was fine.

Donald Trump: The relationship with Romania is very good, the relationship with Europe is very good. I don't agree with what Europe is doing on immigration, but I agree with them on a lot of other issues. We just signed the best trade deal ever – $950 billion – and we got it because of tariffs. It's a very good deal. We were treated badly before.

The statements come after the Pentagon confirmed a partial restructuring of the American presence in Romania, specifying that it is a strategic rotation of troops, not a complete withdrawal. American officials emphasize that the bilateral relationship with Bucharest remains solid, and military cooperation will continue.