Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, days before Russia holds talks on a US push to end the war in Ukraine.
Orban is seen as one of Putin's closest allies in Europe and he has consistently angered his NATO and EU allies by undermining solidarity against Russia.
We are aware of your balanced position on the situation in Ukraine, Putin told Orban in remarks carried by Russian state TV. Putin also thanked the Hungarian prime minister for proposing Budapest as a potential venue for a Russia-US summit with President Donald Trump.
Trump immediately said: 'We have good relations with Hungary, you have good relations with Viktor, and I do too, so I suggest this option.' Of course, we happily agreed, Putin said.
Plans for a Budapest peace summit were proposed last month but were shelved reportedly because the Russian side refused to compromise on Putin's demands for an end to the war. The Hungarian leader's Fidesz party faces parliamentary elections in April, and polls suggest that for the first time in 15 years it could be defeated at the ballot box. If he were to host a Trump-Putin summit in Budapest, it could help boost his chances of re-election.
Orban has repeatedly challenged EU attempts to end European imports of Russian oil and gas. He billed Friday's visit as the second leg of a strategy to ensure Russian energy supplies this winter for Slovakia, Serbia, and Hungary. Earlier this month in Washington, he secured an exemption from US sanctions on Russian fuel— but only as long as he remains in power.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Orban has claimed to have been on the side of peace and told Hungarian state radio last week that Europe has decided to go to war in Ukraine. He has strongly backed Trump's 28-point peace plan to end the war, accusing EU leaders of war-mongering for trying to adapt the plan to account for Ukraine's objections.
Joining Orban and Putin in the Kremlin were leading Russian officials, including Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, part of Russia's negotiating team with the US. In a letter this week to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Hungarian leader called for immediate, unconditional peace talks, opposing further EU funds for Ukraine and rejecting the use of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukrainian defense.
With little sign of Russian willingness for compromise on Ukraine, Orban is focusing on Russian energy. Deals he struck in Washington to buy US liquefied natural gas (LNG) and start purchasing US nuclear fuel may reduce Hungary's dependency on Russia, which could unsettle his Russian hosts.
Orban argues that without deals with the US and Russia, heating prices would triple next month. Hungary is under pressure from the EU to end all imports of Russian energy by 2027, while Hungary currently receives over 80% of its oil and gas and 100% of its nuclear fuel from Russia. A deal in Moscow may also serve the mutual interests of Orban and Putin before the upcoming elections, as both leaders have expressed support for each other's political futures.
Orban is seen as one of Putin's closest allies in Europe and he has consistently angered his NATO and EU allies by undermining solidarity against Russia.
We are aware of your balanced position on the situation in Ukraine, Putin told Orban in remarks carried by Russian state TV. Putin also thanked the Hungarian prime minister for proposing Budapest as a potential venue for a Russia-US summit with President Donald Trump.
Trump immediately said: 'We have good relations with Hungary, you have good relations with Viktor, and I do too, so I suggest this option.' Of course, we happily agreed, Putin said.
Plans for a Budapest peace summit were proposed last month but were shelved reportedly because the Russian side refused to compromise on Putin's demands for an end to the war. The Hungarian leader's Fidesz party faces parliamentary elections in April, and polls suggest that for the first time in 15 years it could be defeated at the ballot box. If he were to host a Trump-Putin summit in Budapest, it could help boost his chances of re-election.
Orban has repeatedly challenged EU attempts to end European imports of Russian oil and gas. He billed Friday's visit as the second leg of a strategy to ensure Russian energy supplies this winter for Slovakia, Serbia, and Hungary. Earlier this month in Washington, he secured an exemption from US sanctions on Russian fuel— but only as long as he remains in power.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Orban has claimed to have been on the side of peace and told Hungarian state radio last week that Europe has decided to go to war in Ukraine. He has strongly backed Trump's 28-point peace plan to end the war, accusing EU leaders of war-mongering for trying to adapt the plan to account for Ukraine's objections.
Joining Orban and Putin in the Kremlin were leading Russian officials, including Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, part of Russia's negotiating team with the US. In a letter this week to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Hungarian leader called for immediate, unconditional peace talks, opposing further EU funds for Ukraine and rejecting the use of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukrainian defense.
With little sign of Russian willingness for compromise on Ukraine, Orban is focusing on Russian energy. Deals he struck in Washington to buy US liquefied natural gas (LNG) and start purchasing US nuclear fuel may reduce Hungary's dependency on Russia, which could unsettle his Russian hosts.
Orban argues that without deals with the US and Russia, heating prices would triple next month. Hungary is under pressure from the EU to end all imports of Russian energy by 2027, while Hungary currently receives over 80% of its oil and gas and 100% of its nuclear fuel from Russia. A deal in Moscow may also serve the mutual interests of Orban and Putin before the upcoming elections, as both leaders have expressed support for each other's political futures.
