Russia Orban meets Putin in Moscow today
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow today. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Orban's travel plans to talk to Putin about energy supplies and the war in Ukraine, according to the state news agency Tass. Putin and Orban repeatedly held direct talks during the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which triggered criticism in the EU.
28.11.2025, 08:23
SDA
There had been speculation about a visit by Orban to Moscow for days. Putin himself did not directly answer a reporter's question on Thursday as to whether Orban would be arriving on Friday. He only said that Moscow is always pleased when invitations are accepted. Orban had announced on Thursday that he wanted to hold talks with Russia about oil and gas supplies.
Not the first trip to Moscow
Orban last visited Putin in the Kremlin in July 2024 - a few days after his first trip to Kiev since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. He staged his visit to Russia as a peace mission. Budapest held the rotating presidency of the EU Council at the time. However, the EU emphasized that Orban was not speaking on its behalf. The Hungarian Prime Minister pursues a hostile policy towards Ukraine, which borders his country. In several statements, he denied that Ukraine is a sovereign state.
In a telephone conversation with Putin in October, US President Donald Trump suggested the Hungarian capital Budapest as the venue for a summit between the two heads of state. However, Trump was disappointed by Moscow's unwillingness to negotiate, canceled the summit and imposed painful sanctions against the major Russian oil exporters Rosneft and Lukoil.
Most recently, Orban supported the original US peace plan for an end to the war in Ukraine, which critics described as a Russian wish list. Some points are said to have been toned down during renegotiations with Europeans and Ukrainians. Russia wants to hold talks on the plan with US representatives in Moscow next week. Orban claimed that the EU had "sabotaged" the original Trump plan because it wanted to continue the war.
Good relations with the Kremlin
Orban has maintained good relations with Kremlin leader Putin for around ten years. He maintained these even after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. In recent years, he has repeatedly prevented new EU sanctions against Russia - such as a complete oil embargo or planned punitive measures against the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Cyril.
Alongside Slovakia, Hungary is the only EU country that still purchases crude oil from Russia. Unlike the other EU countries, with the exception of Slovakia, Hungary is highly dependent on Russian natural gas supplies.
