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'Stupid Question': Trump Recalls Orbán's Advice Ahead of Putin Meeting

• 13 Aug 2025 11:40 AM
• Hungary Around the Clock

At a White House press conference on Monday, US President Donald Trump recounted an earlier conversation with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Praising Orbán as “a very, very smart man” Trump said he had once asked the prime minister whether Ukraine could defeat Russia.

According to Trump, Orbán reacted as if it were a “stupid question”, explaining that Russia is a vast country whose existence “depends on war”.

Orbán contrasted Russian and Chinese strategies, telling Trump that China overcomes rivals through commercial power, while Russia does so through fighting, an observation Trump described as “very interesting”.

The remarks came as Trump prepares to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump said he would aim to recover Ukrainian territory during the talks and suggested that US–Russian trade could resume if peace is achieved.

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó spoke by phone with Russian deputy prime minister Denis Manturov on Monday about the upcoming US-Russia summit.
 

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