Orban, who has grown increasingly isolated within the EU for his ties with Russia and opposition to military aid for Ukraine, has praised Trump as a "man of peace" who would quickly end the war. The two spoke by phone late on Wednesday, and Orban posted on social media: "We have big plans for the future".

Europe will need to rethink its support of Ukraine if Donald Trump is elected president of the United States, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Sunday, as the continent "will not be able to bear the burdens of the war alone".

Donald Trump's White House return is to overshadow a Budapest gathering of European leaders on Thursday and Friday after he roared to a comeback victory in the US presidential elections. European leaders are headed to the Hungarian capital for the fifth meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) as well as an informal summit of EU leaders.