Rep. Mike Waltz says Orbán

Rep. Mike Waltz, the Florida Republican who’s Donald Trump’s choose for his nationwide safety adviser, mentioned Sunday that the president-elect has an excellent relationship with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who he mentioned additionally has “common engagement” with Russia amid its struggle with Ukraine. 

“Orbán has common engagement with the Russians, and he clearly has an excellent relationship with President Trump,” Waltz mentioned on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” “I might hope all the world would wish to see some kind of cessation to the slaughter that’s occurring in jap Ukraine.”

Orbán, an authoritarian chief with ties to Russia, met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago final week, together with Waltz and Elon Musk. Days after the assembly, Orbán introduced that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that “we’re taking each attainable diplomatic step to argue in favor of a ceasefire” and peace talks. He later appeared to drift a Christmas ceasefire and a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine.

Waltz would not say whether or not Orbán’s message to Putin got here out of the assembly with Trump. However he famous that “we’ll proceed to speak,” and that “President Trump’s made it clear he desires this struggle to cease.”

“We have to cease the preventing,” Waltz mentioned. “If that’s some kind of ceasefire as a primary step, once more, we’ll take a tough take a look at what which means.”

Trump has repeatedly pledged that he would finish the struggle between Russia and Ukraine instantly upon returning to the White Home whereas claiming that Putin would by no means have invaded the nation if he have been president. Waltz mentioned that since Trump’s victory within the election, the framework of debate with world leaders surrounding the struggle between Russia and Ukraine has shifted to speak of how the battle involves an finish. 

“How will we finish this battle? How will we do it in a means that restores stability, stops the carnage, and hopefully makes this a everlasting finish, not only a pause?” Waltz mentioned. “These are all issues that we’re pondering by means of.”

The assembly with Orbán got here after Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Dec. 7 in Paris after which Trump referred to as for a right away ceasefire and for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to start. 

Zelenskyy mentioned following the president’s assertion that the struggle “can not merely finish with a chunk of paper and some signatures.” And although he mentioned he had a “good assembly” with Trump, he warned {that a} ceasefire “with out ensures might be reignited at any second.” 

The Biden administration introduced final week it might be sending one other bundle of weapons to Ukraine, valued at $500 million, based on Reuters. Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova, additionally showing on “Face the Nation” on Sunday, mentioned that her nation’s means to struggle off Russian forces is “nonetheless a query of artillery and weapons and air protection, most significantly, and the extra we are able to have, the sooner we can- the extra effectively we are able to defend.”

However Markarova famous “we aren’t asking for different troops. Ukrainians are nonetheless able to defending our personal nation. We’re asking for the army help.”