Hungarian PM talks about meeting with Putin that made the West uneasy

Thủ tướng Hungary nói về cuộc gặp với ông Putin khiến phương Tây bất an - 1 — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban held talks in China on October 17 (Photo: Reuters).

"Russia and Hungary have a common neighbor, Ukraine. We have a peace strategy. We want to do everything to achieve peace. Therefore, we always keep all lines of communication open with Russia. Otherwise there is no chance for peace. We are proud of that strategy," Prime Minister Orban told reporters on October 26.

"We are the only ones speaking for and in favor of peace, which is beneficial for everyone in Europe," the Hungarian leader added.

Recently, Mr. Orban has faced criticism from Western leaders for his meeting with Russian President Putin.

On October 17, President Putin and Prime Minister Orban met on the sidelines of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, China. This was the first meeting between the Russian and Hungarian leaders since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February last year.

According to the Kremlin, Mr. Putin said at the time that the opportunities for such contacts were quite limited in the current geopolitical situation, noting that Hungary and Russia maintained good bilateral relations despite all the crises.

During the talks, Mr. Putin emphasized that the relationship between Moscow and Budapest is built on the foundation of respecting each other's interests.

"The opportunity to exchange opinions with Hungary not only on bilateral issues but also on the world and European situation is very important," the Kremlin chief said.

However, the close relationship between Russia and Hungary, a member of the European Union (EU) and also a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has caused concern in the West.

NATO ambassadors to Hungary held an emergency meeting after the talks between Mr Putin and Mr Orban, where NATO diplomats discussed “security concerns” surrounding the deepening relationship between Russia and Hungary.

Mr Orban's comments came as he travelled to Brussels for an EU summit.

Speaking ahead of the summit, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said: "We have had different opinions and tried to maintain unity but it is becoming more and more difficult because of Hungary." She said she was surprised that Hungary continued to have opposing views with the majority of the bloc's members.

Although a member of NATO and the EU, Hungary opposes military aid to Ukraine and does not join sanctions against Russia. Hungary is also one of the obstacles to NATO expansion. The Hungarian parliament announced today that it will not vote to approve Sweden's bid to join NATO this week.

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