Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbàn met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Friday, holding talks for two and a half hours despite fierce criticism of the surprise visit from senior EU officials and European leaders.
Several EU officials stressed that the Hungarian leader has no official EU mandate for negotiations with Russia and that it has nothing to do with Hungary taking over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union.
The right-wing populist leader, who is often a thorn in the side of Brussels in many areas, is seen as the leader closest to Moscow among European Union leaders.
During a joint appearance with Putin after the talks, Orbán once again called for efforts to find a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine.
According to an official Russian translation, Orbán said that Europe has been living in the shadow of the war in Ukraine for more than two years. “Europe needs peace,” he said.
Peace must be pursued by all sides, Orbán said. But the positions of Moscow and Kiev are very far apart, he said, noting: “Many steps need to be taken to get closer to the end of the war.”
Establishing contact was key, he said, adding: “I will continue to work in this direction.”
Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said many topics had been discussed in what he called a very good atmosphere, especially Ukraine.
Putin recently made a proposal to end the war with Ukraine, but made it conditional on Ukraine agreeing to territorial concessions in advance. However, Kiev has completely rejected this condition.
Putin said after the meeting on Friday that he wanted to brief Orbàn on the details of his idea to end the war and repeatedly praised the Hungarian prime minister for the positions he had taken.
Orbàn maintains ties with Kremlin
Despite the Russian invasion, Orbàn still maintains good relations with the Kremlin leader and Hungary continues to receive gas supplies from Russia.
He visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev earlier this week for the first time since the start of the war. According to Russian officials, Orbàn had no message from Zelensky for Putin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Orbàn had traveled to Russia on his own initiative. Ushakov also said Orbàn had been received as Hungary’s head of government and not as a representative of the EU.
Putin, on the other hand, explicitly referred to Hungary’s role as EU president when he welcomed Orbàn.
EU officials furious over Orbán trip
The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said earlier on Friday that Orbán does not represent the European Union “in any form”.
“Orbán’s visit to Moscow takes place exclusively within the framework of bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia,” Borrell said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on X that ‘appeasement will not stop Putin.
“Only unity and determination can pave the way for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” she wrote.
Eric Mamer, von der Leyen’s spokesman, told reporters that Orbán’s trip undermines “the unity and determination” the European Union needs to end the war in Ukraine.
The EU’s designated representative for foreign affairs, Kaja Kallas, wrote on X that “Viktor Orbán in no way represents the EU or the EU’s positions.”
“He is abusing the position of the EU presidency to sow confusion,” added Kallas, who stressed that the EU “is united, clearly stands behind Ukraine and is against Russian aggression”.
