Another question: why did Orban fly to Moscow to see Putin

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban flew to Moscow on November 28 for a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin, for the first time since the Russian–US summit in Budapest was postponed. According to Putin, the Russian side would be happy to hold talks there, and the initiative of the Budapest summit came from Donald Trump. Orban reiterated that he is ready to provide a platform for these negotiations. However, the visit to Russia is not only related to discussing the situation in Ukraine: the key issue is ensuring Hungary's energy supply for the winter and next year. While other EU countries overpay for oil and gas on principle, Hungary has the lowest energy prices in Europe. Why it is so important for Viktor Orban to make Budapest a venue for a historic meeting and what the leaders said about bilateral relations is in the Izvestia article.

The key question for Viktor Orban

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Moscow on November 28. His visit comes amid discussions on the Ukrainian settlement and a possible summit between Russia and the United States, and his arrival looks promising for the entire international community. It is known that he flew to Moscow personally at the invitation of Vladimir Putin, as the Russian president himself told reporters the day before. And the Hungarian politician is clearly interested in this contact: even before dawn at 4 a.m. local time (6 a.m. Moscow time), he arrived at Budapest airport to go to Moscow, local media reported.

Before departure, Viktor Orban named the main purpose of the visit — to provide his country with stable and affordable energy supply for the winter and the whole next year. This issue is particularly sensitive for Hungary, as its partner countries in the European Union are trying in every possible way to "shoot themselves in the foot" and abandon Russian oil and gas. And this will lead to an energy crisis in the region, higher energy prices and, as a result, a deterioration in the lives of the local population. Not to mention that this has a negative impact on households and the EU economy. By the way, today energy prices in Hungary are the lowest in Europe.

Budapest currently receives gas and oil from Russia through pipelines. Since the beginning of the year, the country has received 8.5 million tons of crude oil and more than 7 billion cubic meters of natural gas, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said earlier. Without energy supplies from Russia, electricity bills for Hungarian families would have tripled, and this is unacceptable, he stressed. Viktor Orban even managed to negotiate with Donald Trump on Hungary's withdrawal from the recent new sanctions against Moscow during his trip to the United States. Recall that on October 22, the US Treasury Department included Rosneft, Lukoil, and their subsidiaries in a new package of anti-Russian sanctions, which fully entered into force on November 21.

— Hungary's energy security is based on stable supplies of Russian energy resources in the past, now and in the future. We highly value the stability and predictability of Russian energy supplies. Hungary is interested in maintaining an energy dialogue with your country, and today I would like to discuss this range of issues in detail. Ukraine is our neighbor, so Hungary is fully feeling the impact of the Ukrainian conflict on itself, including suffering significant economic losses, because economic cooperation is blocked by fighting. This is true both for Europe and for us," Viktor Orban said at talks with Vladimir Putin.

The construction of new Paks NPP units will be a long-term guarantee of Hungary's further energy supply. Szijjarto previously said that the pouring of the "first concrete" for the construction of a nuclear power plant is scheduled for February 5, 2026. The fact that this issue is on the agenda is also indicated by the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak from the Russian side at the meeting.

Other issues were personally raised. Thus, in 2024, the trade turnover decreased by 23%, primarily due to external restrictions. Nevertheless, the prospects are good: this year, growth has already exceeded 7%. It is noteworthy that both leaders emphasized the good relations between the countries and their willingness to continue working for the benefit of their peoples.

— I am very pleased to note that, despite all the difficulties of today, our relations remain and continue to develop. We are well aware that there have been different periods in our history, but today they are based on the best of what happened in our relations, and on pragmatism, a pragmatic approach to the development of bilateral ties. We have known each other personally for a long time, and I know that you primarily defend the interests of your country, Hungary, and the Hungarian people in your work," the Russian president stressed.

Viktor Orban even estimated that this is the 14th time he has met with Vladimir Putin as prime minister.

Where can the next meeting between Putin and Trump take place

Even before flying to Moscow, Viktor Orban stressed that the topic of the conflict in Ukraine in today's talks "is unlikely to be avoided." And so it happened — a considerable part of the negotiations, which were shown publicly, the leaders discussed the future settlement of the situation.

It is possible that it is the Hungarian prime minister, who is "hardened" in confrontation with European Union partners, who will play a role in further steps towards Russia and the United States. In late October, after another telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, Budapest was chosen as the venue for a face-to-face meeting, but later Trump announced that he had canceled a planned summit with the Russian president due to lack of progress in negotiations. Vladimir Putin clarified that the Budapest summit is likely to be "postponed" because it would be a mistake to hold such a meeting without proper preparation.

— It was Donald's suggestion, he immediately said: we have good relations with Hungary, and you and Viktor have good relations, and I have, so I suggest this option. Of course, we agreed with pleasure. And if during our negotiations it comes to using the Budapest site, I will also be very happy about it and I want to thank you for your willingness to assist," said Vladimir Putin.

Against this background, Viktor Orban's arrival for face-to-face talks with the head of state (the last time they called on the phone after reports that negotiations in Budapest had been postponed) looks as if hope for peace will soon dawn again. Back in 2024, the Hungarian Prime Minister actively advocated his "Peace Mission" and presented his plan for resolving the conflict in Ukraine, but it obviously did not suit the leaders of the European Union.

Now, the focus of recent weeks has been on Donald Trump's peace plan. What the document looks like and what it contains is officially unknown, since no one has confirmed the authenticity of the material that appeared in the media. However, the day before, Vladimir Putin shared that the plan really consists of 28 points, which were proposed to be divided into four components. This was conveyed to Moscow, and the head of state admitted that the document could be used as the basis for future agreements. Vladimir Putin also recalled earlier that Moscow had reviewed the initial US plan before his visit to Alaska.

Recognition of Russia's sovereignty over Crimea and Donbas remains one of the key conditions for Moscow in resolving the conflict. According to the plan, the contents of which became known to the media, the United States and other countries will have to agree to this. According to The Telegraph, Washington is ready to take such a step to conclude an agreement on the cessation of hostilities. To this end, according to media reports, Donald Trump has sent his special envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia, who is due to fly to Moscow next week. In return, Kiev can count on security guarantees. Vladimir Putin, however, had already stated the day before that every word of the peace plan for Ukraine "needs to be seriously discussed." This is especially important to take into account, since the 28-point plan was apparently shortened after the meeting of the Americans and Ukrainians in Geneva and now it includes 22 provisions.

— Hungary is interested in peace, and we sincerely hope that the recently announced peace initiatives will eventually lead to this very peace. Our meeting today gives me the opportunity to confirm, Mr. President, that Hungary is ready to provide a platform for such negotiations and assist in the successful completion of this process," Viktor Orban confirmed.

But Budapest is not the only place that wants to become a historic meeting place. On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that his country maintains direct contacts with Moscow and Kiev and is ready to re-organize negotiations to resolve the conflict in Istanbul. It was in this city that several meetings of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations took place this year, and in 2022 an agreement was almost reached there that could put an end to the conflict. However, Kiev withdrew from the negotiation process at the request of London.

Why peace in Ukraine is so important for Orban

For Viktor Orban, a meeting with Vladimir Putin is not only a way to raise his weight in the international arena, but also a tool for solving domestic political problems, experts believe. All this is necessary in the context of the upcoming event that will determine his future career — the parliamentary elections in Hungary in 2026.

— If Trump and Putin meet in Budapest before that, it will definitely strengthen Orban's position. So this is part of the election campaign. Since the beginning of the fighting, Orban has already said that peace is needed, and the conflict must be ended as quickly as possible. And he reasonably hopes that this policy will bear fruit before or after the elections," says Hungarian political analyst Gabor Stier.

At the same time, such a step strengthens Budapest's position on the EU platform, since Viktor Orban is now "already a figure," which means he must be reckoned with, especially in matters of the Ukrainian crisis, the expert added. And the fact that he met with Vladimir Putin after Donald Trump seriously indicates his political weight for other leaders in Europe.

—Orban would love to meet with Zelensky, too, but if I understand correctly, there is no openness to such contacts in Kiev," says Gabor Stier.

At the same time, the main priority for the current Hungarian prime minister is still not Russia and Ukraine. The fate of Orban and Hungary depends more on relations with the European Union than on resolving the crisis, political analyst Vadim Trukhachev believes. By the way, while negotiations were underway, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Viktor Orban went to Moscow without a European mandate and without coordinating a trip with other EU leaders.

Thus, Orban is primarily interested in maintaining Russian oil supplies, despite EU pressure, as well as completing the construction of nuclear power plants. Vadim Trukhachev notes that Moscow should be cautious about signing long-term agreements, since there is no guarantee that Orban will remain in power after the elections in April 2026. Even though the Paks-2 NPP project was removed from the restrictions, because the same Americans can easily reconsider this decision.

Hungary is too small and economically dependent to leave the EU, and Orban doesn't even mention it. The EU norms stand above any national legislative act and any agreement that an individual state signs with some external participant, the political scientist believes.

At the same time, life in Hungary itself is becoming "more and more difficult", as the country is experiencing an economic crisis, said Gabor Stier. A lot of problems were caused by the situation in Ukraine, as well as the fact that Budapest does not receive money from the EU. Brussels claims that it does not allocate funds due to the fact that the Hungarian government violates democratic principles, which, however, the European Commission itself violates, the expert stressed. "The EU leadership is doing everything to remove Orban next year, because it is so inconvenient for them, for the mainstream," concluded Gabor Stier.