Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki will attend the Visegrád Group summit in Ostrów in December, but will not meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, citing Orbán’s recent Moscow visit.
Initial Meeting Plans
In early November, the presidential minister announced that on December 3, President Karol Nawrocki would participate in the Visegrád Group summit in Ostrów, Hungary. He also said that during the same period he would meet Czech President Tamas Selyok and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The proposed meeting with Orbán was negatively received from the outset because of Orbán’s continuing cooperation with Vladimir Putin.
Decision to Skip the Orbán Meeting
On November 30, the presidential minister reiterated to the media that Nawrocki would not meet Orbán. The decision was attributed to Orbán’s visit to Moscow on November 28, where he met with Putin. “President Nawrocki consistently advocates realistic ways to end the war in Ukraine caused by the Russian Federation,” the minister said. Referencing the legacy of former President Lech Kaczyński, who stressed that European security depends on solidarity, especially in energy, Nawrocki limited his Hungarian trip to the Visegrád summit and stated that he would discuss Central European security and cooperation with the presidents of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Orbán’s Moscow Meeting with Putin
Media reports indicate that during the recent meeting, Orbán and Putin reached an agreement on Russian energy cooperation and fuel supplies. However, it is unclear whether any formal documents were signed. The declaration stated that Russia would continue supplying resources and that Hungary would rely on them to support its national economy. Discussions also touched on the war in Ukraine, and Orbán reiterated his invitation for a peace summit in Budapest.
