Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during his visit to China.
"Reuters" writes about it.
They met at the government guest house where Putin was staying before the start of the One Belt One Road international forum. Orbán assured Putin that Hungary never wanted to confront Russia and is trying to establish bilateral contacts.
"However, due to the military operation and sanctions, our relations suffered a lot. We are trying to save everything we can," noted the Hungarian Prime Minister.
Putin stated that despite the limited opportunities for contacts in "todayʼs geopolitical conditions", Russia maintains relations with many European countries, in particular with Hungary.
Orbanʼs press service chief Bertalan Havasi responded to "Reuters" inquiry that Orban and Putin discussed gas and oil supplies and nuclear energy issues. Under a 2014 contract concluded without a tender, the state-owned Russian company Rosatom is building a nuclear power plant in Hungary.
Orbán stressed that it is extremely important for Europe, in particular for Hungary, to lift sanctions against Russia and stop hostilities in Ukraine and the flow of refugees.
- Before that, Putin and Orban spoke face to face on February 1, 2022 during a meeting in Moscow.
- This visit to China is the second foreign trip for Putin. The first was to Kyrgyzstan a few days ago. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, so if he comes to a country where the Rome Statute applies, he should be detained. For example, Putin missed the BRICS summit in South Africa on August 22-25, because the government there was supposed to arrest him.