Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban promised on Friday, during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, to continue importing Russian hydrocarbons that Hungary still depends on, once again defying the European Union on the matter.
Moscow – “I want to reaffirm that energy supplies from Russia currently constitute the basis of Hungary’s energy supply and will continue to do so in the future,” said Viktor Orban according to remarks broadcast on television.
Close to both the American and Russian presidents, the Hungarian leader has not sought to genuinely diversify his country’s imports since the onset of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, unlike many European countries.
“We have not renounced cooperation in any area, despite all external pressures,” he asserted.
This meeting is sure to provoke anger in Brussels as the European bloc attempts to free itself from dependence on Russian hydrocarbons and continues to adopt sanctions to pressure Moscow and try to end the worst conflict on European soil since World War II.
The Russian president praised Mr. Orban’s “pragmatism” as well as his “balanced” position on “the Ukrainian issue.” (November 28, 2025)
