During a Friday meeting in Warsaw, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Hungary is ready to host a peace negotiation platform in Budapest.
Putin on the Budapest Platform
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary is interested in peace and hopes recent initiatives will lead to true peace. The meeting gave him an opportunity to confirm to President Putin that Hungary is ready to provide a platform for such negotiations and is prepared to help end the process decisively.
Orbán thanked Putin for the possibility of organizing a meeting with the U.S. President in his country, noting that Donald had proposed the step. He also expressed that if the Budapest platform emerges during their talks, he would be glad and thanked him for the encouragement.
Cooperation Is Going Well
At the start of the meeting, Putin noted that while Russia and Hungary may differ on some issues, especially international ones, the two countries continue to collaborate.
Putin admitted a 23% decline in bilateral trade over the past year due to external restrictions but pointed out a modest growth of over 7% this year. He emphasized that cooperation in the energy sector is good, though there are issues needing discussion.
Hungary Feels the Impact of the Ukrainian Conflict
Orbán highlighted that stable energy supplies from Russia form the foundation of Hungary’s energy security and that Hungary values the reliability of those supplies.
He stressed Hungary’s interest in maintaining an energy dialogue with Russia. He also said that because Ukraine borders Hungary, the country bears the full economic costs of the conflict, as commercial cooperation is hindered by the fighting.
