Ukraine War07 April, 20261 min read
Hungarian PM Orbán Offered Putin Full Support, Proposed Ukraine Peace Summit
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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.
Orbán-Putin Call
Orbán told Putin he was willing to help in any way during a phone call. 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. 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.