Viktor Orbán flew to Moscow early Friday, saying Hungary must guarantee affordable Russian gas and oil for the coming winter and beyond. Speaking at Budapest Airport, he stressed that Hungary’s energy security depends on pipeline deliveries from Russia—and noted that peace efforts would almost certainly feature in his meeting with Vladimir Putin.
‘If Marine Le Pen and Giorgia Meloni manage to work together, either in a group or in a coalition, they will be the strength of Europe,’ stated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in an interview with Le Point. PM Orbán also discussed the Hungarian EU Presidency starting in July, the threats facing Europe and his relationship with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Tucker Carlson has just released his thorough, two-hour interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Evidently, the main topic of the conversation was Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, with Carlson vigorously searching for the reasons why President Putin decided to launch the invasion.
Left-wing MEPs led by Guy Verhofstadt want to impose sanctions on Tucker Carlson for interviewing Vladimir Putin. The crackdown on the former Fox News anchor is a perfect illustration of the double standards set by Brussels concerning freedom of expression and freedom of the press, which is often applied to Hungary as well.
Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin last met in person on 1 February 2022 in Moscow, before the outbreak of the war on Ukraine. This time the two leaders discussed energy matters and bilateral cooperation. During their meeting, the Hungarian PM also emphasized the need to put an end to the fighting and achieve peace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met in the Kremlin on Friday for their 14th bilateral talks, focusing on energy security, the war in Ukraine and future relations. Orbán reaffirmed that Hungary’s energy supply will continue to rely on Russian deliveries and said Budapest remains ready to host eventual peace talks.
A breakthrough in Ukraine’s peace efforts may bring diplomacy to Budapest, after President Zelenskyy said Kyiv is ready to advance a US-backed framework and Donald Trump signalled talks are nearing completion. With Viktor Orbán reportedly preparing a Moscow visit, the long-planned Budapest peace summit could finally materialize.
‘This does not exactly gel with the idea that Trump is some Putin sycophant, does it?’
The planned Trump–Putin summit in Budapest has exposed how modern diplomacy is waged through information warfare. Leaks, denials, and anonymous sources have flooded the media, as Brussels and Kyiv intensify efforts to block the meeting—fearing that a deal might emerge outside their control.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signalled his willingness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Budapest, saying he is ‘ready’ to join the summit if it aims for a just and lasting peace. ‘We need both sides of this tragedy,’ he said.