Orbán and Fico look to derail European unity on Ukraine ahead of London summit

As European leaders prepare for a high-stakes summit in London on Sunday, populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico are openly challenging the EU’s united front on Ukraine, pushing positions that echo the Kremlin’s stance.

In a letter to European Council President António Costa dated Saturday, Orbán called for the EU to engage in direct cease-fire negotiations with Russia, mirroring U.S. efforts under Donald Trump.

Slovakia, meanwhile, is taking an even harder line. In a statement responding to Friday’s contentious Trump meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, Slovak Prime Minister Fico said his country would refuse financial or military support to Kyiv and dismissed the West’s “peace through strength” approach as unrealistic.

Fico also demanded that any future EU summit conclusions include a requirement for Ukraine to restore Russian gas transit to Slovakia and Western Europe — effectively pushing for the resumption of European dependence on Moscow’s energy exports.

The statements from Orbán and Fico come as Europe scrambles to respond to Trump’s humiliating treatment of Zelenskyy in Washington. While leaders from France, Germany and other European countries have reaffirmed their backing for Kyiv, Orbán has sided with Trump, praising the U.S. president’s push for a “brave” peace deal.

Sunday’s summit in London, hosted by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will test whether EU leaders can keep their fragile unity intact — or whether Orbán and Fico’s maneuvering will widen internal divisions just as Ukraine faces mounting uncertainty on the battlefield.