Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that he will meet French President Emmanuel Macron on March 5.

The two leaders will hold talks a day before an EU summit aimed at cementing joint action in support of Ukraine, AFP reports.

Orban's statement came after US President Donald Trump ordered a halt to US military aid deliveries to Kiev. This has heightened fears in Ukraine and in many European capitals that America is turning away from its allies and towards Moscow.

Orban one of Trump and Moscow's closest allies in the EU. He said the "transatlantic rift" over Russia's invasion of Ukraine has become evident in recent days.

"Tomorrow (5 March) I will meet the president of France in Paris," Orban stated. He indicated that the war in Ukraine would be discussed.  

"There is a clear strategic difference that the US presidential election has made insurmountable. Some want war and others want peace. This is the challenge we will face on Thursday (6 March). For me even on Wednesday (5 March)," the Hungarian prime minister said.

He accused European leaders, who met in London over the weekend to rally around Kiev, of having decided "that the war in Ukraine must continue".

After the March 2 crisis summit, to which Hungary was not invited, Macron said France and Britain had proposed a one-month ceasefire "in the air, at sea and in the energy infrastructure", although at least initially it would not cover ground fighting.

On 4 March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a five-part plan to mobilise some €800 billion for Europe's defence and provide "immediate" military support for Ukraine. | BGNES