Hungary's PM Arrives in Moscow for Putin Talks

The visit has been criticised by EU leaders, who have emphasised that Mr Orban is not acting on behalf of the bloc.

Mr Orban is the EU's only head of national government to have kept close ties to the Kremlin following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

He described the trip as a "peace mission" in a post on X. It comes days after he visited Kyiv.

Some European leaders openly condemned the Moscow trip. Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called it "disturbing news", while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk tweeted: "The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussions about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine."

He went on: "The rumours about your visit to Moscow cannot be true, @PM_ViktorOrban, or can they?"

"Appeasement will not stop Putin," European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.

"Only unity and determination will pave the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

Hungary has just taken over the EU's rotating presidency.

In a statement, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said the trip "takes place, exclusively, in the framework of the bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia".

Source: BBC