Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday to discuss crude and gas supplies for Hungary and also peace efforts in Ukraine.
The move would also enable Hungary to provide oil to neighbouring Serbia. He said that Hungary would be “pleased” to take a role in Serbia’s NIS oil company, but added that the future of the refinery affected by U.S. sanctions remains a decision for Serbia.
Orban has maintained close relations with Moscow despite the war in neighbouring Ukraine, and Hungary is still largely reliant on Russian energy, despite European Union efforts to cut dependence.
Orban revealed his plan to meet Putin in a video interview on his Facebook page, adding, "I am going (to Moscow) to ensure that Hungary's energy supply is secured for the winter and next year."
When asked if peace efforts in Ukraine would also be on the agenda, Orban said, "We can hardly avoid that."
The United States gave Hungary an exemption from sanctions this month to use Russian oil and gas, after Orban pressed his case for a reprieve during a friendly meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington.
Hungary also signed a pact on nuclear power cooperation with the United States.
The deal provides for Hungary to buy U.S. nuclear fuel and technology to store spent fuel at a Russian-built nuclear plant, known as Paks I.
Russia's Rosatom is building an extension to the plant, a 2014 project that has been substantially delayed.
Orban has said before that he wants to revive plans for a "peace summit" in Budapest between Trump and Putin on Ukraine, which was shelved this year.
In contrast to most NATO and European Union leaders, Orban has kept up cordial relations with Russia while questioning the logic of Western military aid for Kyiv.
Hungary has imported 8.5 million tonnes of crude oil and more than 7 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia this year, its foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.
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Israel was cleared on Thursday to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, a decision made by the organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which sparked a major controversy.
Britain’s King Charles III welcomed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday, marking the beginning of his three-day state visit to the United Kingdom. The visit, the first by a German President to the UK in 27 years, comes as the two countries continue to strengthen ties post-Brexit.
Ukraine has rejected Russian claims that its forces have captured the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk, stating that Ukrainian troops continue to hold the northern districts along a railway line.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is underway at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where world leaders, sports stars and FIFA officials have gathered for a ceremony shaping next summer’s expanded 48-team tournament.
Thousands of students across Germany walked out of classrooms on Friday to protest a newly approved military service law.
Moscow has expressed cautious optimism regarding diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, following a marathon meeting between President Vladimir Putin and high-level representatives of the Trump administration.
Norway plans to buy two additional submarines from Germany and a separate procurement of long-range artillery, the defence ministry said on Friday, at a much higher cost than before partly due to high demand for military equipment.
Top diplomats from Armenia and Azerbaijan will convene in Qatar this Saturday for a high-profile panel discussion aimed at cementing the peace process between the historic South Caucasus rivals.
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