Putin and Orban discussed Ukraine in call

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke by telephone on Wednesday and notably “exchanged their views” on the situation in Ukraine, the Kremlin announced.

In a press release, the Russian presidency states that Mr. Orban said he was looking for a “political-diplomatic” solution, in particular thanks to “his contacts with Western leaders”.

For his part, during this call, Mr. Putin denounced “the destructive line of the kyiv regime” which excludes a “peaceful resolution” of the conflict, again according to this press release from the Kremlin.

On Monday, Viktor Orban spoke with US President-elect Donald Trump at his residence in Florida, continuing his “mission for peace” in Ukraine, according to Budapest.

Viktor Orban, who remains close to the Kremlin, is one of the rare EU leaders to maintain long-standing contacts with his “friend” Donald Trump, whom he has already met twice this year and whom he supports since 2016.

Saying he was seeking a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, by meeting officials from both camps, Mr. Orban irritated his European partners in July by going to see Vladimir Putin in Moscow, without prior consultation.

During Wednesday’s call, Messrs. Putin and Orban also discussed “economic and commercial” cooperation between Moscow and Budapest, according to the Kremlin, including “mutually beneficial projects in the energy field.”

In the energy sphere, Hungary remains dependent on Moscow and imports around two thirds of its gas from Russia.