Ex-US Ambassador: Trump could broker respect between Putin and Zelensky, praises Orbán’s efforts for peace

US President-elect Donald Trump knows Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky well and if he reaches out to them, the Russian and the Ukrainian presidents will both show respect towards the United States, the former US ambassador to Hungary said in an interview with public television broadcast on Wednesday evening.

Referring to Trump’s pledge towards peace in Ukraine, David Cornstein said Zelensky was fully aware that “the entire ammunition is coming from the United States” which was why he said it would be worth listening to Trump’s advice.

David Cornstein and Viktor Orbán. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Embassy in Hungary

Ending the war is also in the interest of central Europe, and a priority issue for Trump, Cornstein said. No country has the right to invade another independent state, said the former ambassador, adding that “it is unacceptable”.

He noted that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had made efforts right from the beginning to have the warring sides sit down for talks, adding that the whole world should have followed suit.

Speaking about the close ties between Orbán and Trump, Cornstein said both of them “are very strong leaders governing along the same principles”. Also, they fully agree on cardinal issues such as migration, the importance of family and the economy, as well as the state’s role in those ares, he added.

The former ambassador said that under the Biden administration there had not been any dialogue between the US ambassador and the Hungarian government. “But, if invited, Trump would most certainly pay a visit to Hungary,” he said.

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