Skip to content
Edit post

Hungarian official: Orban's meeting with Putin 'about peace'

by Abbey Fenbert October 19, 2023 2:28 AM 2 min read
Gergely Gulyas, chief of staff to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, on Nov. 9 2018. (Attila Kisbenedek / AFP via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's recent meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in China demonstrates the importance of "talking about peace," Orban's chief of staff Gergely Gulyas told local journalists on Oct. 18.

Gulyas said the talks signified "the importance of talking about peace and the need to put an end to Russian aggression."

"This is exactly what the Prime Minister did, and I would advise others to do the same," he said.

Gulyas was responding to criticism of the meeting, which took place at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Oct. 17. Orban was the only European Union leader to attend the forum.

The U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, David Pressman, condemned the talks in a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter.)

"Hungary’s leader chooses to stand with a man whose forces are responsible for crimes against humanity in Ukraine," Pressman said.

Gulyas dismissed this criticism.

"If you think back to previous years, you will see meetings there — many meetings between Joe Biden and President Putin," he said.

Hungary has a history of blocking EU sanctions against Russia and aid packages to Ukraine. Orban himself has criticized Ukraine for accepting economic support, calling it a financially "non-existent country."

Opinion: The geopolitics of EU enlargement
The debate surrounding the European Union’s potential expansion is no longer really about Ukraine and the western Balkans. Enlargement is now an existential question with far-reaching implications for the EU and its ability to remain a prominent player in a rapidly changing global environment. BERL…

News Feed

MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.