Hungarian PM Orbán Offered Putin Full Support, Proposed Ukraine Peace Summit
Key Takeaways
- Orbán offered to help Putin in any way, including hosting a Budapest peace summit.
- Originates from an October 17 phone call; Bloomberg cited a transcript.
- Proposal to host a Ukraine peace summit in Budapest aimed at settling the war.
Orbán-Putin Call
Orbán told Putin he was willing to help in any way during a phone call.
“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told Russian President Vladimir Putin he was willing to “help in any way” during a phone call on 17 October, according to a transcript reviewed by Bloomberg”
He offered to host a peace summit in Budapest aimed at settling the war in Ukraine.
Orbán has maintained warm ties with Putin despite the Ukraine war.
He blocked implementation of a European Union loan to Ukraine.
Political Context
The revelation came as Orbán faced his toughest re-election bid.
Leaked recordings surfaced of Szijjártó discussing removing sanctioned Russian individuals from the EU list.
Some European officials interpreted Szijjártó's conduct as akin to acting as a mole for Moscow.
The transcript was seen as evidence that helping Russia is a policy from the very top.
Diplomatic Ramifications
Putin said Budapest would be perhaps the only European country acceptable as a venue for talks.
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The exchange took place as Trump had agreed to a second summit hosted in Hungary.
The closeness between Budapest and Moscow raised questions about Hungary's role within the EU.
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