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.
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.
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.
‘While Hungary called for more oversight and transparency, the European Parliament’s majority actively undermined these attempts.’
‘Ternopil is no longer merely a city in western Ukraine. It has become an unexpected and dramatic frontline in this brutal conflict. This tragedy is a stark reminder that civilian infrastructure is vulnerable and that civilians bear the brunt of war…War is never far from everyday life.’
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán praised US President Donald Trump’s newly unveiled 28-point peace plan for ending the war in Ukraine, calling it proof of Trump’s determination to secure a settlement. Orbán contrasted Washington’s diplomatic push with Brussels’ renewed efforts to secure additional funding for Kyiv.
Hungary’s FM Péter Szijjártó slammed EU ministers in Brussels as ‘insane’ over Ukraine, criticizing their support for Kyiv despite a major corruption scandal. He called for accountability on aid, warned the war is ‘unwinnable’ for the Ukrainians, and urged Brussels leadership to back President Trump’s peace efforts.
‘I applaud Hungary’s efforts to pursue peace and to offer its good offices here in Budapest, or at least to serve as a venue for American–Russian dialogue. Beyond that, I think what’s key here is that this war is about the future of Europe’s security order.’
The Hungarian Institute of International Affairs’ first EastSec Forum examined Europe’s shifting security landscape amid the Russo–Ukrainian war. Speakers, including HIIA President Gladden J Pappin and Zachary Paikin of the Quincy Institute, stressed Hungary’s growing mediating role, the collapse of post–Cold War security structures, and the need to rebuild guarantees for lasting peace.
Under what conditions can the Ukrainian war end? Can there be a military confrontation between the US and China over Taiwan? What could be the future of the Gaza Strip? We asked for an analysis from the renowned scholar of international relations on the three major geopolitical conflict areas: the Ukrainian war, the Middle East, and the Pacific Region conflict.