Hungary's Viktor Orbán Meets Russia's Vladimir Putin In Moscow For Energy Talks

Orbán, a Putin ally, has convinced Trump to grant his country an exemption to the sanctions the U.S. president has placed on two Russian energy companies.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks at the Kremlin on Friday, a rare step from a European leader as Russia’s almost four-year war rages in Ukraine.

The trip to Moscow is the second since last year for Orbán, who is widely considered Putin’s closest partner among all European Union leaders.

In comments to state media before departing for Moscow early Friday, Orbán said the focus of his talks with Putin would be Hungary’s continued access to “cheap Russian oil and gas,” resources that have come under sanctions by the U.S. government.

Hungary is one of only a few EU countries to continue importing large quantities of Russian fossil fuels, and has strongly opposed efforts by the bloc to wean its 27 member nations off Russian energy supplies. Earlier this month, Orbán traveled to Washington for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and succeeded in securing an exemption to sanctions the Trump administration placed on Russian energy companies Lukoil and Rosneft — an allowance Orbán said ensured Hungary’s continued energy security.

Orbán said Friday that following Hungary’s exemption from U.S. sanctions, “now all we need is oil and gas, which we can buy from the Russians. I am going there to ensure Hungary’s energy supply at an affordable price both this winter and next year.”