Hungarian PM Orban and Russia's president Putin discuss energy cooperation and peace efforts in Beijing
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian president Vladimir Putin held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the "One Belt, One Road" forum in Beijing, reports the press service of the Hungarian government.
It is noted that Putin and Orban discussed Hungarian-Russian cooperation in gas and oil transportation, as well as nuclear energy.
"At the meeting, Viktor Orban emphasized the importance of peace," said Bertalan Havasi, the speaker for the Hungarian prime minister.
He explained that "for the whole continent, including Hungary, it is extremely important to put an end to the flow of refugees, sanctions, and conflicts".
"A meeting with President Putin. Today, the main concern for everyone in Europe is whether there will be a ceasefire in Ukraine. For us Hungarians, the most important thing is to stop the flood of refugees, sanctions, and wars in our neighboring country," Orban said on Facebook.
According to Russian media reports, Putin stated during the meeting that relations between Russia and Hungary will "be preserved and developed". The Hungarian Prime Minister said that Budapest "never wanted to confront Russia. On the contrary, Hungary aimed to rebuild and expand the relationship, and it succeeded" and added that "Hungary and Russia have lost a lot due to the annexation operation and sanctions, but Budapest is trying to salvage all that it can".
The last time Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin met was in Moscow on February 1, 2022, prior to the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Viktor Orban arrived in Beijing for the Chinese forum "One Belt, One Road" at the invitation of Xi Jinping. The purpose of his trip is to further strengthen Chinese-Hungarian relations.