Despite the cordon santé that has formed around him due to the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is at least keeping an attentive ear within the European Union and NATO. The Russian president thus expressed his satisfaction on Tuesday at having Hungary as an interlocutor, during a meeting in China with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is striving to maintain his ties with Moscow.
“Due to current geopolitical conditions, the possibilities for maintaining contact and developing relationships are very limited. But it is satisfactory that (Russia) has maintained relations with many European countries, and Hungary is one of them,” Vladimir Putin told Viktor Orban, according to footage from Russian television. According to the Russian president, it is “very important to be able to exchange with a country of the European Union”.
Hungary remains dependent on Russian gas
Hungary has approved all the sanctions decided by the EU to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, but Viktor Orban has tried to soften some of them and adopted a conciliatory stance towards Russia, which remains a key source for its energy needs. The Hungarian Prime Minister also has difficult relations with Ukraine.
The Hungarian agency MTI, citing the government, indicated for its part that the two leaders had discussed “gas and oil supplies and nuclear energy”.
Viktor Orban also raised the issue of a ceasefire in Ukraine, according to a message posted on Facebook. “It is crucial that the flow of refugees, sanctions and fighting in our neighboring country stop,” he said. He said he was “in an extremely difficult position” while Hungary “never wanted to confront Russia” and wanted to “maintain its cooperation”, according to comments broadcast on television.
A previous meeting just before the war
The last meeting of the two leaders dates back to February 1, 2022, three weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin has since become a pariah in Western eyes and the Russian president has no longer met with leaders of EU countries, with the exception of Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in April 2022.
Russia is targeted by sanctions which affect many sectors of the economy and most European countries have worked to shake off their energy dependence on Moscow. Vladimir Putin is also forced to limit his travel abroad because he is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for his role in the deportation of Ukrainian children since the start of the war.