BRUSSELS — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, long an opponent of support for Ukraine, is eyeing a contentious new diplomatic push from Washington as an opportunity to hold up billions in funding for Kyiv.

In a letter sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday, obtained by POLITICO, Orbán called on the EU to sign up to the terms of the 28-point U.S. proposal that would see Ukraine give up territory and halve its military, while giving Washington a 50 percent stake in profits from reconstruction of the country.

The intervention comes as EU leaders hold crisis talks on how to respond to the proposals, which were developed by White House envoy Steve Witkoff without the input of European allies and would make sweeping concessions to Moscow.

“Europeans must immediately and unconditionally support the peace initiative of the United States,” Orbán wrote. “In addition to supporting the U.S. President, we must without delay launch autonomous and direct negotiations with Russia.”

Aside from Hungary, the 26 other EU countries “have repeatedly made their support for Ukraine clear and that it is unequivocal,” said an EU official granted anonymity to respond to the letter. “There is intense engagement and coordination among European leaders, also with non-EU partners, to continue that support in light of recent developments.”

At the same time, Orbán said in the letter that Hungary “does not support the European Union sending any further financial assistance to Ukraine in any form” and “does not consent to such a decision being taken in the name and framework of the EU.”

Officials in Brussels are currently holding talks with member countries over how to leverage the use of immobilized Russian assets to issue a €140 billion reparations loan for Ukraine. The issue is on the agenda to be signed off at a meeting of leaders in Brussels on Dec. 18.

“For Ukraine, a swift agreement on the Reparations Loan is essential,” Ukraine’s ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov, told POLITICO. “It provides predictable funding from the cash balances of immobilized Russian sovereign assets, ensures stability from early 2026, and does so without additional costs for EU taxpayers.”

Budapest has consistently tried to block much-needed military and financial aid for the Kyiv’s defense efforts, while strengthening Hungary’s ties with the Kremlin and opposing sanctions designed to drain Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war chest. However, Hungary has also previously been blindsided by U.S. President Donald Trump’s changing rhetoric on Moscow and was forced to negotiate an exemption to new U.S. restrictions on Russian oil.

The EU’s von der Leyen and leaders of major economies are participating in a G20 summit in Johannesburg on Saturday where “there are very intense diplomatic efforts ongoing on the Ukraine peace plan in the margins,” a second EU official said. Presidents and prime ministers from the 27 EU member countries will also discuss the White House’s proposals on the sidelines of an EU-African Union summit in Angola on Monday.

The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, blasted the American proposals earlier this week, warning that “the pressure must be on the aggressor, not on the victim. Rewarding aggression will only invite more of it.” 

Trump has given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to agree to the plan. “He’ll have to like it, and if he doesn’t like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting, I guess,” Trump said Friday.

Zelenskyy, whose country is preparing for another winter at war after Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, said Kyiv faces “one of the most difficult moments” in its history and may have to make the choice between “losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.”