Hungary's Orbán to meet Putin in Moscow

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Friday, 28 November, according to a reliable source familiar with the details of the trip, reported investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi, on his Facebook page. He said more information would be released in VSquare's newsletter on Thursday.

There has been no official confirmation of the meeting yet. This will be the third meeting between Orbán and Putin since 2022, and their fourteenth meeting in total.

Hungarian news portal Telex confirmed what Panyi said.

It is important to note that the Hungarian government has not yet released any official information about the trip or its details. In response to press inquiries, the Government Information Centre said only that "we will inform the public about the prime minister's trips abroad in the usual manner".

The last time the Hungarian Prime Minister met with the Russian President in person was in July 2024 in Moscow for what Orbán proclaimed was his "Peace Mission". As with his previous visit, this trip was only made public at the last minute, with the government not officially confirming it until after he had landed.

The timing of Viktor Orbán's trip has dawn sharp criticism from European leaders, who say he does not have the authority to negotiate on behalf of the EU. European Council President Charles Michel stressed:

The EU rotating presidency has no mandate to engage with Russia on behalf of the EU.

"The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussions about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine," Michel said on X (formerly Twitter).

The timing of the current trip to Moscow is sensitive, given that important negotiations regarding the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war are taking place on a daily basis.

On Tuesday, Karoline Leavitt, White House spokesperson, announced on X that further negotiations on the peace plan would be necessary between Ukraine, Russia and the United States, as

there are a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out [...].

Viktor Orbán recently wrote to Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, urging the EU to unreservedly endorse Donald Trump's 28-point peace plan for Ukraine. The Prime Minister indicated in his letter that the Hungarian government does not support further EU financial assistance to Kyiv and will not consent to such a decision being made on the EU's behalf.

Cover photo: In a photo released by the Prime Minister's Press Office, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (l) and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference in Moscow following their talks on 5 July, 2024. Source: MTI/the Prime Minister's Press Office/Vivien Cher Benko