Fresh from a headline-grabbing rendezvous with US President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán pivoted straight to a phone call with Vladimir Putin this week to discuss the war in Ukraine. The Hungarian premier is on a self-styled ‘peace mission’ ahead of passing the rotating EU presidency to Poland at the end of the month.
"Viktor Orban expressed interest in promoting a joint search for ways to resolve the crisis politically and diplomatically, including taking into account his contacts with a number of Western leaders," the Kremlin said, referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
According to the Kremlin, "Vladimir Putin outlined his fundamental assessment of the current development of the situation around Ukraine and the destructive line of the Kyiv regime, which continues to exclude the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the conflict."
As Hungary holds the EU's rotating presidency through December, Orbán's self-proclaimed "peace missions" are striking a discordant note with his European allies. His recent agenda – including a stop in Ankara to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week – paints a picture of a leader determined to position himself as Europe's bridge to Trump while maintaining his controversial dialogue with Moscow.
Hungary's stance on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has been a thorn in the EU's side. Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion nearly three years ago, Budapest has emerged as the bloc's most vocal skeptic of sanctions against Russia. Viktor Orbán's government has repeatedly thrown wrenches into the EU's sanctions machinery while taking a firm stand against military assistance to Kyiv - positions that have increasingly isolated Hungary within the European community and raised questions about its commitment to the bloc's united response to Russian aggression.
Ukraine's President Zelenskiy, clearly rattled by the latest developments, fired off a sharp rebuke on social media, warning against anyone using the crisis for personal political gain. “No one should boost personal image at the expense of unity,” Zelenskiy said in a post on X after Orbán’s talks with Putin. Yet in an interesting twist, he extended gratitude to Trump for peace efforts.
As Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk prepares to take the EU presidency baton in January, promising his own diplomatic initiatives, one thing is clear: the chess pieces of European politics are being dramatically reshuffled. “I had an hour-long phone conversation this morning with President Putin,” Orbán said in a post on X. “We are taking every possible diplomatic step to argue in favor of a ceasefire and peace talks.”
With Ukraine standing firm against territorial concessions and the Kremlin maintaining its hard line, the path to peace remains as elusive as ever.


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