The long-serving prime minister, a champion of ‘illiberal democracy,’ has been politically isolated in much of Europe. But he has found common ground with the former and soon-to-be new U.S. president.

The European Union needs to rethink its support for Ukraine following Donald Trump's U.S. election victory, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said before a summit of EU leaders on Friday, adding that Europe cannot finance the war alone.

Europe alone cannot shoulder the financial strain of supporting Ukraine against the ongoing Russian invasion, Hungarian leader Viktor Orban said. He warned that closely allied President-elect Donald Trump will likely steer Washington out of the conflict.

Hosting a summit of European leaders in Budapest, Orban took centre stage amid a renewed hope that his ties with Trump could boost his leverage across EU, where he was until recently snuffed due to hi

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".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is due to host dozens of European leaders in Budapest later this week as relations with fellow partners have become increasingly strained.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, fresh from celebrating Donald Trump's presidential win, savoured his moment in the spotlight Thursday as he welcomed more than 40 European leaders to Budapest for a summit.