Orban meets Putin in Moscow as Hungary takes over EU presidency

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Moscow on Friday (July 5) to meet President Vladimir Putin of Russia in a major setback to western-European effort to isolate Russia. Orban's visit comes less than a week before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Russia for an annual India-Russia visit.

Orban's visit to Moscow comes just five days into Hungary's takeover of EU's rotating presidency. He first went to Kyiv and then landed in Moscow.

"As part of his peace mission Viktor Orbán has arrived in Moscow," his spokesperson told state news agency MTI. "The prime minister is meeting Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia."

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The visit is the first by an EU leader to Russia since April 2022 when Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer visited Moscow to convince Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

"Hungary does not have the mandate to negotiate on behalf of the European Union. I would never pretend. But I can explore the situation," he told state media on Friday (July 5).

Meanwhile, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, on Friday (July 5) said Orban's visit to Moscow was an "exclusively" bilateral one as the Hungarian leader "has not received any mandate...  to visit Moscow" and was "not representing the EU in any form".

European Council president Charles Michel took to X to assert Hungary does not have the legitimacy to speak for the bloc.

Orban has consistently taken a pro-Russia stance since 2022 and has opposed EU sanctions on Moscow.

He was also the first western leader to meet Putin in China last October after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for war crimes allegedly perpetrated by the Russian leader.

Putin defended Orban saying: "They are attacking him not because he has a different position from other European leaders, but because he has the courage to defend the interests of his people."

"Many politicians in Europe today lack that courage and envy him."

(With inputs from agencies)