Diplomacy revs up ahead of Orbán-Putin meeting

Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán meet in Budapest on October 30, 2019. (MTI/Prime Minister's Press Office Vivien Cher Benko)
By Dénes Albert
1 Min Read

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán arrived in Moscow Monday evening for his Tuesday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the meeting prompting a flurry of Hungarian diplomatic activity before the two leaders’ talks.

Orbán’s press secretary Bertalan Havasi told national news agency MTI that while in Moscow, Orbán called NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the latest developments of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

Also on Monday, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace visited Budapest, where he met his Hungarian counterpart, Tibor Benkő.

“Hungary is a close NATO ally and we are committed to the security of Europe,” Hungary’s minister of defense wrote in a tweet.

Hungarian Defense Minister Tibor Benkő and British Defense Minister Ben Wallace in Budapest on January 31, 2022. (MOD)

Wallace also praised the high readiness of the Hungarian armed forces and both ministers stressed the need for a peaceful solution to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

Share This Article