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.
Small businesses across Russia are increasingly feeling the impact of tighter internet restrictions, including ...
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has reaffirmed the island’s commitment to sovereignty and regional ...
The global housing crisis has reached what UN officials describe as “staggering” proportions, with nearly...
The 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) opened in Baku with ministers, UN officials and urban policy leaders. Participants call for ...
Thousands of displaced families in Gaza are facing growing infestations of rats and insects as worsening sanita...
Russian president Vladmir Putin is expected to land in Beijing on 20 May, just days after Trump's departure, for a one-day visit with Chinese Presdient Xi Jinping.
A storm in a teacup. Despite Ukrainian threats to attack the Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May, and Russia’s warning that it would bomb downtown Kyiv in retaliation, in the end nothing happened. But why?
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy facilities in recent months, amid stalled progress in peace negotiations. The strikes have targeted refineries, processing plants, pipelines and export infrastructure, causing repeated disruptions across Russia’s energy sector.
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
At least eight people were injured after a driver rammed a car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, authorities said on Saturday. Four of the victims were reported to be in serious condition.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington could destroy Iran’s infrastructure “in two days,” while Tehran warned the U.S. would face growing economic costs from the conflict. The remarks came as Hezbollah reported new attacks on Israeli forces despite an extended Lebanon ceasefire.
At least eight people have died and 32 others were injured after a freight train collided with a public bus at a railway crossing in Bangkok on Saturday (16 May), triggering a fire that quickly spread through the vehicle.
U.S. President Donald Trump says China's Xi Jinping agreed Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran prepares a new shipping mechanism. Tensions over the U.S. blockade and stalled nuclear talks continue to disrupt global oil supplies.
Small businesses across Russia are increasingly feeling the impact of tighter internet restrictions, including limits on the messaging app Telegram, stricter controls on virtual private networks, and repeated mobile internet outages.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has reaffirmed the island’s commitment to sovereignty and regional stability following the recent meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
At least four people have been killed in a major Ukrainian drone attack on Russian territory, including the Moscow region, which authorities say faced its largest aerial assault in more than a year.
China has launched the world’s first experiment to study how artificial human embryos develop in space, marking a major step in understanding whether humans could one day reproduce beyond Earth.
Every day, an elderly woman in China’s Shandong province looks forward to a video call from her son. He asks about her health, tells her he has been busy with work, and promises he will come home once he has saved enough money. She tells him she misses him. He tells her to take care of herself.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment