Orbán Meets Putin in Moscow to Discuss Sanctioned Russian Oil Refineries, Drawing EU Criticism
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin to discuss the fate of Russian oil refineries under sanctions and the possibility of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Bloomberg.
During the meeting on November 28, the parties discussed the potential purchase by Hungarian companies of sanctioned Russian oil refining assets, raising concerns about fuel shortages in Eastern Europe.
Putin confirmed the continuation of natural gas and crude oil supplies to Hungary and agreed to further expand the Hungarian Paks nuclear power plant under Russian leadership.
Orbán's unannounced visit to Moscow came the day after his meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, where he expressed his willingness to acquire a stake in NIS, Serbia's only oil refinery, owned by Gazprom. Hungary had previously received an exemption from US oil sanctions following Orbán's talks with Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, European leaders have criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's recent visit to Moscow.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted that Orbán arrived at the Kremlin “without a European mandate” and doubts that his actions will help stop the war in Ukraine. According to Merz, the Hungarian leader has his own ideas for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, which have not yet been implemented, and it is unclear whether they will be more successful this time than previous attempts.
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob supported Merz's assessment, adding that the EU does not expect any significant benefits or advantages from Orbán's visit.
“We do not expect any benefits or advantages from this visit,” Golob said.
The Hungarian leader, on the other hand, stressed that Budapest is ready to host a summit between Russia and the US to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine and to facilitate its successful implementation. Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Orbán for the offer and noted that the idea of considering Hungary as a venue for negotiations came from former US President Donald Trump.
Friday's meeting was the second between Orbán and Putin since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, and the Hungarian prime minister's previous trips have already drawn criticism from European partners.
This is all taking place against the backdrop of efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. Earlier, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi. These talks follow a broader round of discussions in Geneva involving American and European diplomats.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Ukraine and the United States have developed a new draft peace agreement with Russia consisting of 19 points, leaving the most sensitive issues for the consideration of Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Read more on The Gaze: How Does Trump-Orban Relations Impact US Mediation in the Russo-Ukraine War?