Russian President Vladimir Putin received Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Moscow, on Friday. The two leaders held detailed talks on Russian oil and gas supplies.
Orban has described Russia's oil as “vital for Hungary’s energy security", despite being criticised by European leaders for purchasing it.
According to a statement by the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, the country imported 8.5 million metric tonnes of crude oil and more than 7 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Russia this year.
This was made possible after United States granted Hungary a sanctions exemption earlier this month to continue using Russian oil and gas. Orban successfully pressed his case during a friendly meeting with U.S President Donald Trump in Washington.
Putin described Hungary’s position on the Ukraine war as “balanced” and noted that bilateral trade, which had fallen by 23% last year due to “external restrictions”, recovered by 7% in 2025.
The Russian leader reportedly reaffirmed that he welcomed Budapest as the venue for the postponed Russia–U.S. summit with President Trump.
While on air, he mentioned the summit idea had come from Trump during their phone call on 16 October. "He immediately said: we have good relations with Hungary, you have good relations with Viktor (Orban), I suggest this option," Putin said.
After U.S. and Russian diplomats failed to reach agreement in preparatory talks, Trump announced that the meeting had been “cancelled for now”.
The Hungarian PM voiced hope that ongoing diplomatic efforts — including envoy Steve Witkoff’s planned meeting with Putin in Moscow next week — would advance negotiations to end the war. “We very much hope that the peace proposals on the table will lead to a ceasefire and peace,” Orban said.
Earlier on Facebook, Orban wrote that he was visiting Moscow “to ensure Hungary’s energy supply is secured for the winter and next year.”
The meeting marked a rare visit by an EU and NATO leader to Russia since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine.
Notably, Viktor Orban also met with Putin in Moscow, in July 2024. He is one of the few European leaders to continue visits to Russia amid the Ukraine conflict.
Last week, he reportedly said he would oppose continued EU support for Ukraine unless the bloc backed a 28-point peace plan supported by Trump, which imposes strict conditions on Kyiv.
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An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resumption of commercial shipping through the sea passage and the lifting of an American naval blockade on Iranian ports.
A deal on a new route for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is "very close," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, while warning that the reopening of the waterway depends on the U.S. meeting other conditions, including paying compensation to Iran.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of August, covering the latest developments.
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is increasingly penetrating Russia's air-defence network, as both sides stepped up overnight strikes on energy, logistics and port infrastructure.
On 10 August, AnewZ’s Daybreak focused on developments in Gaza, Lebanon-Israel negotiations, Iran’s position on talks with Washington and the latest global security and climate-related challenges.
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A gunman was arrested after opening fire at a local government office near Bangkok on Monday, days after a deadly school shooting renewed debate over gun control in Thailand.
Flights arriving at Catania airport in eastern Sicily were suspended after volcanic ash from a new eruption of Mount Etna drifted into the airspace around the airport, disrupting operations at one of Italy’s busiest aviation hubs.
The future of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza roadmap remains uncertain, with Israel and Hamas divided over its implementation, particularly the sequence of Hamas’s disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal.
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