Vladimir Putin met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Beijing

Vladimir Putin held talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Beijing. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the One Belt, One Road forum, where both leaders arrived. Orban met with Putin at the Diaoyutai residence, where the heads of delegations live. The last time he met with the leader of an EU member state was before the start of the special operation in Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz came to Moscow on February 15, 2022.

The Russian President greeted the Hungarian Prime Minister with the words that despite the fact that in today’s geopolitical conditions the opportunities for maintaining contacts are limited, it cannot but be gratifying that relations with many European countries are maintained and developing. According to Putin, relations between Russia and Hungary have always been built “on the basis of taking into account interests, on everything positive that was inherited from the past.” He noted that if last year the growth in trade and economic interaction between Russia and Hungary was 80%, then this year it was “minus 35%,” so he suggested thinking about what to do to “influence this process in a positive way.”

Putin emphasized that it is important to exchange views with one of the EU countries, in this case with Hungary, not only on bilateral relations, but also on the situation in the world and Europe. “We know that our positions do not always coincide. But to have the opportunity to exchange opinions, in my opinion, is always extremely important,” Putin said.

Orbán estimates that this is the thirteenth meeting with Putin since 2009. “There have been difficult meetings, but never as difficult as this one. We have never been in such a difficult situation before. Hungary never wanted to confront Russia. Quite the contrary, Hungary’s goal has always been to expand contacts with Russia. And we succeeded,” he said. But due to the sting operation in Ukraine and the sanctions that followed it, bilateral relations lost a lot, Orban said. In his words, “It struck at the fabric of what you and I built together.”

But despite this, Hungary is doing everything possible to “save what it can” from bilateral contacts, and the country is ready to maintain communication with Russia, including at the economic level.

Orban thanked that “Rosatom“remains a partner of Hungary and that “Gazprom» fulfills obligations under agreements. He noted that much can be saved from what was previously achieved. “No one likes to see the results of his work once achieved, due to reasons for which he is not guilty, reduced to nothing,” Orban said. After the welcoming speech, the meeting was held behind closed doors.

The meeting between Putin and Orban in Beijing can be called unexpected. It was known that Orban would come to the “One Belt, One Road” forum in Beijing. However, the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, denied holding a meeting between Putin and Orban. “No, not planned yet. <…> They will all take part in one event, so on the fields, one way or another, all participants will communicate,” Peskov previously told reporters. This meeting was not announced in advance, unlike Putin’s bilateral talks in China with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, with Thai Prime Minister Settha Thaweesin, with Mongolia’s President Ukhnagiin Khurelsukh and Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith.