Hungarian Prime Minister Orban in Moscow: purpose of the trip, reaction of Europe and world media

The visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, attracted the attention of key world media. A representative of the Hungarian Prime Minister had previously stated that the politician had gone to Russia “as part of his peacekeeping mission,” and later it became known that Orban and Putin had a frank conversation about the conflict in Ukraine. Journalists from leading foreign media outlets tried to analyze the visit of the Hungarian Prime Minister to Moscow and made assumptions about the consequences this trip could have.

The Guardian

The British publication The Guardian in its article about Orban’s visit named Hungarian politician as the most pro-Russian European leader. The article also notes that the Hungarian prime minister is trying to position himself as a mediator in the peaceful resolution of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

At the same time, as stated in the article, Orban’s trip, which took place during the week when Hungary took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), drew sharp criticism from other European leaders. The publication recalled that former head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell had previously reported that Orban had not received a mandate from the European Council to visit Moscow and that his trip was taking place exclusively within the framework of bilateral relations between Russia and Hungary.

The New York Times

American newspaper The New York Times (NYT) dedicated the Hungarian prime minister’s trip to Russia, an article with the headline “Viktor Orban meets Vladimir Putin, throwing the EU into disarray.” The article emphasizes that Orban’s trip has caused discord in the European Union. Against the backdrop of Hungary’s EU presidency, the visit has forced member states to quickly declare that the politician in Moscow does not represent their countries.

The article also noted that Orban’s visit to Moscow was the first trip by the leader of an EU member state to Russia for official talks with Putin since the start of the special operation in Ukraine.

El Mundo

Spanish newspaper El Mundo named the Hungarian Prime Minister’s trip to Moscow was scandalous. Although each country uses the EU Council presidency to advance its own interests, the publication’s journalists decided that Orban had gone too far.

France 24

French channel France 24 indicatedthat Orban is the most Moscow-friendly leader of an EU country. The article notes that the Hungarian prime minister visited Russia shortly after a surprise trip to Kyiv, where he urged the Ukrainian authorities to work toward a ceasefire.

On Friday in Moscow, Orban insisted that peace in Ukraine cannot be achieved without dialogue, the TV channel added. However, as noted in the article, Kyiv reacted sharply to the negotiations between the Hungarian politician and the Russian president.

Der Spiegel

Authors of the German magazine Der Spiegel statedthat the EU’s warnings “once again failed to stop Viktor Orban from imposing his will.” “While rumors of the Hungarian prime minister’s trip to Moscow have already caused outrage, a Hungarian government plane landed in Moscow on Friday morning,” the article says.

The magazine also cited a comment by MEP Daniel Freund, who demanded that Orban be stripped of his presidency of the EU Council because of his visit to Moscow. According to Freund, the Hungarian politician damaged the EU with his visit and in the future, he may again “not miss the opportunity to mock the European Union.”