European Union politicians have faced criticism for their reaction to the United States’ decision to host talks between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary. Hungarian Member of the European Parliament András László argued that critics of Budapest are “jealous,” suggesting they feel ignored by President Trump.
The criticism came from several European officials, including Carl Bildt, co‑chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. Both focused on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s enthusiasm for hosting the summit. Bildt noted that Orbán’s party is trailing in opinion polls ahead of next year’s elections and that Hungary is perceived as the most corrupt country in the EU. Sikorski added that Hungary is also the poorest EU member, although this claim is disputed because Hungary and Poland have similar GDP‑per‑capita figures.
László responded by saying President Trump chose Hungary because he trusts Prime Minister Orbán, who has consistently advocated for a swift restoration of peace. He described European politicians as “jealous children” who feel ignored by Trump and called their criticism unfounded.
The upcoming Trump‑Putin meeting was announced by the U.S. president on Thursday after a phone call between the two leaders, which was described as “very productive” with “great progress” made. Moscow has confirmed the planned summit, and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said preparations are already underway.
This will not be the first encounter between Trump and Putin. They met in mid‑August in Alaska to discuss restoring Russia‑U.S. relations and exploring a path to settle the Ukraine conflict. Although both sides hailed those talks as productive, no breakthrough was achieved. The scheduled meeting in Hungary is expected to continue these discussions, with the goal of making progress on these pressing issues.
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