Hungary's Orbán was willing to go to great lengths to help Putin and Russia, leaked conversation reveals
During a phone call between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin last autumn, the Hungarian leader assured Putin of his friendship and offered assistance in resolving the war in Ukraine.
Source: a transcript reviewed by Bloomberg, as reported by European Pravda
Details: During the call on 17 October, Orbán told Putin he was "willing to go to great lengths" to help him, including facilitating a settlement of the war in Ukraine through a summit in Budapest.
"Yesterday our friendship rose to such a high level that I can help in any way. In any matter where I can be of assistance, I am at your service," Orbán said.
To illustrate his point, Orbán referred to a children's fable popular in Hungary about a mouse that frees a lion caught in a net after the lion had previously spared its life.
According to the transcript, this remark made Putin laugh.
Much of the conversation was reportedly devoted to exchanging compliments, including about US President Donald Trump.
Orbán noted that his friendship with Putin had strengthened since it began in Saint Petersburg in 2009.
"The more friends we make, the more possibilities we have to resist our adversaries," he said.
He also expressed regret that he and Putin had not been able to meet regularly in person, as they had before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Putin, in turn, praised Hungary's independent and flexible position regarding his war against Ukraine.
"It is incomprehensible to us that such a balanced, middle-ground position only generates counter arguments," Putin said.
According to the transcript, the main purpose of the October call was to discuss the possibility of holding a US–Russia meeting in Hungary, though the proposed Budapest summit did not take place.
Background:
- Details of the Orbán–Putin call emerged amid a leak of a conversation between Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
- On 31 March, media published audio recordings shedding light on their contacts, including discussions related to alleged lobbying by Szijjártó to lift EU sanctions against Gulbakhor Ismailova, the sister of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
- Following this, Szijjártó again criticised the European Union's sanctions policy against Russia and said he regularly consults and has consulted with foreign ministers of many non-EU countries regarding sanctions.
- The European Commission recalled that Szijjártó had previously received warnings about the inadmissibility of disclosing information from EU Council meetings.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!