Orban Goes to Moscow and Hears About It From EU Leaders

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban discussed the war on Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday, a meeting that again put Orban at odds with his European Union and NATO partners. Orban, widely considered Putin's closest ally within the EU, has repeatedly clashed with Western leaders over his refusal to fully support sanctions and embargoes against Russia, instead emphasizing the need for continued dialogue and energy cooperation. On Friday, Putin acknowledged Orban's "balanced position" on the war, the BBC reports. The remarks were aired on Russian state TV.

• Allies' response: European leaders ripped Orban, sometimes sarcastically, for going, per Politico Europe. He went to the Kremlin "without a European mandate," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said. Orban "has his own ideas about how to end this war," he added. "So far, they have not been realized." At the same press conference, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said he hoped the trip will "not cause any major damage."
• Energy: Orban has resisted EU calls to halt Russian energy imports, arguing that without such deals, Hungary and its neighbors would face soaring heating costs. Hungary currently relies on Russia for more than 80% of its oil and gas and all of its nuclear fuel, contributing about $5 billion a year to the Russian economy. Orban has secured an exemption from US sanctions on Russian fuel, though only for as long as he remains in power. "Russian energy forms the basis of Hungary's energy supply, now and in the future," Orban said, per the AP.

• Ukraine war: Orban recently called for immediate peace talks with Russia and opposed additional EU funding for Ukraine or the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukrainian defense. He quickly endorsed President Trump's 28-point peace plan and accused EU leaders of "war-mongering" when they tried to alter the proposal to meet Ukraine's objections. Orban again suggested Russia-US peace talks in Budapest, per Deutsche Welle. Trump already had canned the idea, saying there was no chance of a breakthrough. Putin thanked Orban for the invitation on Friday, said he'd be pleased to go, and added that meeting in Hungary was Trump's idea in the first place.