Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán travelled to Moscow on Thursday (4 July) to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, only a few days after his visit to Kyiv, on a trip that earned him stern rebukes from EU officials and diplomats
A few days after Orbán travelled to Kyiv to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he may make another trip to meet Putin in Moscow, according to a post by VSquare journalist Szabolcs Panyi on X, which was further relayed by Euractiv’s partner Telex.
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According to the sources, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó was expected to join him for the visit.
“The aim of the Hungarian presidency is to contribute to solving the challenges ahead of the European Union. That’s why my first trip was to Kyiv,” Orbán wrote on Facebook after he arrived there on Tuesday (2 July).
Last week, the EU opened formal membership talks with Kyiv at its summit in Brussels, giving Ukraine a morale-lifting boost, although a long and tough road still lies ahead, before it can join the bloc.
Asked by journalists on Thursday 4 July, Hungarian officials did not confirm the possible visit to Moscow.
Orbán last met Putin in Beijing in October 2023 at the Belt and Road Forum, where he was the only EU politician to travel.
According to Telex, the fact that the prime minister is meeting Putin just a few days after his visit to Kyiv, indicates that he still considers it important to maintain his relations towards Russia, which his critics considers to be pro-Russian.
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Orbán usually defends his relations with Russia, by saying that dialogue is necessary even in times of war. Budapest also argues that Hungary is heavily dependent on Russia for energy, therefore has no interest in hostilities.
However, over the past 14 years in power, Orbán has not done much to reduce Hungary’s dependence on Russia.
In a direct rebuke of the visit, European Council President Charles Michel said: “EU rotating presidency has no mandate to engage with Russia on behalf of the EU.”
“The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussions about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine,” Michel added.
According to a senior EU official, Orbán did not inform any of the bloc’s institutions about the trip to Moscow.
”There were numerous attempts to establish contact and confirm reports of PM Orbán possible visit to Russia. These were unsuccessful,” the official said, adding that even if Orbán had asked, he would have been “strongly advised against such a visit.”
Several EU diplomats condemned the visit, saying it was ‘outward contradictory’ to the EU’s current policy line and was ‘putting EU unity at risk.
”It’s only Day 4 of the Hungarian EU presidency and Orbán meets with Putin – that’s quite a pace,” one EU diplomat quipped.
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