Putin Ally Voices Support for Trump: 'Keep on Fighting'

• Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary, voiced his support for former President Donald Trump ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges in New York City.
• Orbán is a notable ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as a vocal supporter of Trump.
• The prime minister has previously said Trump would be best suited for negotiating a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Monday shared a message of support for Donald Trump ahead of the former president's appearance in a New York City courtroom for his arraignment on criminal charges.

Orbán has long been a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is widely considered to be the European Union's most pro-Kremlin leader. Since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Orbán has remained loyal to the Russian president by trying to thwart the European Union's sanctions against Russia as punishment for the war while also trying to undermine NATO's military support of Ukraine.

Orbán has also been an ally of Trump, who was indicted last Thursday following an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office into an alleged hush money payment made to former adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. The former president is expected to surrender to authorities ahead of his Tuesday afternoon arraignment. Trump has denied an affair with Daniels as well as any wrongdoing in the case.

"Keep on fighting, Mr. President! We are with you, @realDonaldTrump," Orbán tweeted on Monday.

In the past, Trump and Orbán have made public displays of their mutual admiration. The prime minister visited Trump at the White House in 2019 and spent time with him at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf course in August 2022. That month the Hungarian leader also delivered a well-received speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas.

Orbán's Twitter post in support of Trump included a photograph taken during his visit to the New Jersey golf course. In the picture, Trump and Orbán smile broadly while shaking hands.

Vlad Gheorghe, a Romanian politician and a member of the European Parliament, criticized Orbán's message to Trump.

"Criminals stick together," he tweeted. "Nope, it's not Marilyn Monroe singing to JFK, it's Orban whispering love words to INDICTED ex-President @realDonaldTrump."

Last October, Orbán spoke highly of Trump at a Berlin forum hosted by Germany's Berliner Zeitung newspaper and Cicero magazine. During the discussion, Orbán said an end to the Ukraine war would come only as a result of negotiations involving Russia and the United States.

He also suggested that President Joe Biden had increased U.S. tensions with Moscow and said Trump was best suited for negotiating a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

"Joe Biden went too far with his comments about Putin," Orbán said, according to Cicero. "The hope for peace is Donald Trump."

Meanwhile, Trump has frequently criticized Biden over his policies regarding the war. In February, Trump told supporters at a Florida rally that the war would not have occurred if he had been reelected.

"Putin never ever would have gone into Ukraine if I were president," Trump said, adding that he "had a very good relationship" with the Russian leader.

George Ajjan, an international political strategist, told Newsweek that Orbán's message to Trump is indicative of the men's shared values.

"The chummy sentiments between Trump and Orbán have less to do with Putin and more to do with their membership in the same political tribe: Populists who skillfully manipulate right-wing sentiments in their quest to remain in power," Ajjan said.

He continued, "Each wears his respective anti-establishment credentials as a badge of honor: Trump brashly bucks Beltway consensus when it suits him, just as Orbán relishes the consternation he brings upon EU bureaucrats. In this context, Orbán's message of solidarity with Trump's legal troubles makes perfect sense, as Hungary has been singled out and sanctioned by Brussels under his leadership."

Newsweek reached out to Orbán's office via email for comment.