Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Moscow on Nov. 28 and praised his “balanced” stance on the war in Ukraine. The two leaders held three hours of talks focused on energy cooperation and potential peace negotiations.
Orban, often described as the EU’s most Kremlin-friendly leader, has repeatedly criticised aid to Kyiv while strengthening economic ties with Russia. Putin said Russia-Hungary relations are now at their best point in shared history, as top diplomats from both sides joined the meeting.
Before traveling, Orban said energy security and affordable winter prices for Hungary motivated his trips to Washington and Moscow. Earlier in November, he met Donald Trump and secured a temporary waiver from U.S. sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector. In Moscow, Orban again offered to host Ukraine peace talks, though plans for a Putin-Trump summit in Budapest have been cancelled. The cancellation followed failed diplomatic groundwork, despite Putin claiming Trump initially proposed holding the summit in Hungary.
Orban and Putin