‘Peace mission’: Hungary’s Orban meets Putin in Russia, defying EU leaders
Al Jazeera
Right-wing nationalist makes trip with no official mandate from the European bloc, causing outrage.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, with no mandate from the European Union.
“The #peace mission continues. Second stop: #Moscow,” Orban posted on X on Friday, his trip to the Russian capital coming days after a first stop in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Hungary took over the rotating EU presidency this month, with Orban saying he wants to use it to advocate for an end to the fighting in Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022.
In televised comments at the beginning of their meeting, Putin suggested that Orban had come to Moscow as a representative of the European Council, despite several European officials having condemned the visit.
“I understand that this time you have come not just as our longstanding partner but as president of the council,” Putin told Orban, adding that he expected him to outline “the position of European partners” on Ukraine.
