“Hungary is interested in peace … Hungary is ready to host such talks and to provide assistance in the successful completion of this process,” Orbán told the Russian president during the meeting.
Putin thanked the Hungarian leader, adding that the idea to consider Hungary as a possible spot for a meeting emerged from Washington.
“It was Donald [Trump]’s proposal. He said right away: ‘We [both] have good relations with Hungary, you have, and so do I, so I am proposing this option,’” Putin said.
Putin added that he would be “pleased” to come to Budapest in case “negotiations with the U.S. will lead to that.”
Friday’s meeting marks the second time Orbán has met with Putin in Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The July 2024 meeting, during Hungary’s turn helming the rotating six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union, took EU leaders by surprise.
European leaders, including Estonia’s then-Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, condemned the trip. Kallas is now the EU’s foreign affairs chief.