Hungarian President Orbán meets Putin in Moscow, rare visit by European leader

MOSCOW (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban traveled to Moscow on Friday to discuss prospects for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a rare trip to Russia by a European leader that drew condemnation from kyiv and European leaders.

Orbán’s visit comes just days after a similar, unannounced trip to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and proposed that Ukraine consider agreeing to an immediate ceasefire with Russia.

“The number of countries that are able to engage in dialogue with both warring parties is decreasing,” Orbán said. “Hungary is gradually becoming the only country in Europe that is able to engage in dialogue with everyone.”

Hungary took over the rotating EU presidency in early July, and Putin suggested that Orbán had come to Moscow as a senior representative of the European Council. Several senior European officials rejected the suggestion, saying Orbán had no mandate for anything other than a discussion of bilateral relations.

The Hungarian prime minister, widely regarded as having the warmest relations with Putin among EU leadersregularly blocked, delayed or diluted The EU is trying to help kyiv and impose sanctions on Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. It has long advocated for a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, but without specifying what this might mean for the country’s territorial integrity or future security.

This stance has frustrated Hungary’s allies in the EU and NATO, who have denounced Russia’s actions as a violation of international law and a threat to the security of Eastern European countries.

Speaking after the Kremlin talks, Orbán said he told Putin that “Europe needs peace,” adding that he had asked the Russian leader his views on existing peace plans and whether he thought a ceasefire could precede possible peace talks.

Speaking alongside Orbán, Putin said Russia would not accept any ceasefire or temporary suspension of hostilities that would allow Ukraine to “recover its losses, regroup and rearm.”

The Russian president reiterated his demand for Ukrainian troops to withdraw from the four regions Moscow claims to have annexed by 2022 as a condition for any peace negotiations. Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected the demand, suggesting it amounts to asking Kiev to withdraw from its own territory.

Putin said they also exchanged views on the current state of Russia-EU relations, which are “now at their lowest point.”

Hungary earlier this month took over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council, a largely formal role that can be used to shape the bloc’s political agenda.

Orbán said he viewed his six-month presidency of the EU Council as a “peace mission”, saying the fighting in Ukraine had damaged Europe’s security and economy and that only dialogue and diplomacy could end the hostilities.

“I wanted to know where we could find the shortest path to peace,” Orbán said of his visit, adding that he also asked Putin for his views on Europe’s long-term security after the end of hostilities in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that the visit to Moscow was Orbán’s idea and was only agreed to on Wednesday, adding that Moscow appreciated Orbán’s “strong, clear and consistent path” in trying to resolve the conflict.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Orbán’s decision to visit Moscow was made “without the consent and coordination” of kyiv. It added that “the principle that ‘no deal on Ukraine without Ukraine’ remains inviolable for our country” and called on all states to strictly adhere to it.

European officials have sharply criticized Orbán’s trip to Moscow, the first such visit by a European leader since Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer met Putin in the Kremlin in April 2022, just weeks after Russia sent troops to Ukraine.

“This is about appeasement, not peace,” said European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement that Orbán’s visit to Moscow “takes place exclusively in the framework of bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia.”

“Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán has not received any mandate from the EU Council to travel to Moscow,” Borrell said, adding that his “position excludes official contacts between the EU and President Putin. The Hungarian Prime Minister therefore does not represent the EU in any form.”

Orbán quickly responded on social media platform X, calling Borrel’s statement “Brussels bureaucratic nonsense that has yielded no results in finding a path to peace.”

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre expressed concern about Orbán’s trip to Moscow, noting that it “will not advance the cause of peace and is counterproductive to promoting Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Orbán had informed him in advance of his trip to Moscow but that he “does not represent NATO at these meetings.”

Kaja Kallas, the outgoing Estonian prime minister who is tipped to become the EU’s next foreign policy chief, accused Orbán of “exploiting” the presidency and said the Hungarian leader was trying to “sow confusion”.

“The EU is united, clearly behind Ukraine and against Russian aggression,” Kallas, a staunch Ukraine supporter, wrote on X.

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Spike reported from Budapest, Hungary. Associated Press journalists Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Emma Burrows in London contributed to this report.