Orbán sets off to Moscow to meet Putin

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has flown out to Moscow early on 28 November for a meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

"The plan is not only to leave but also to reach Moscow, which because of the war is not as simple as before, so we will have to make a large detour. That's why we must leave at 04:00 to make it to the meeting scheduled for this morning. Today we will meet with the president of Russia," Orbán said, as quoted by Telex, a Hungarian new outlet. [N.B. European Pravda doesn't recognise Putin as president – ed.]

In a video entitled To Moscow! posted on his Facebook page early on Friday, shortly before 05:30 Budapest time, Orbán said he was travelling to the Russian capital to secure affordable energy supplies for Hungary for the winter and the coming year.

Orbán made a statement to the media instead of his usual Friday radio interview, saying it was a "big battle" with "major fluctuations" across Europe, but prices kept rising, which in his view placed a burden on households and the economy throughout Western Europe.

"Hungary now has the lowest energy prices in Europe. This is because we have access to cheap Russian oil and gas, which are inexpensive compared to international prices," Orbán said.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó is travelling with Orbán.

Putin said on 27 November that Russia and Hungary were discussing a potential visit by Prime Minister Orbán.

In October 2023, Orbán met Putin in China, where he called the war against Ukraine a "special operation" [as the war against Ukraine is called in Russia – ed.].