Remembering a big political win for Putin that many may have forgot

Russian President Vladimir didn't score a lot of major political wins on the international scene in 2023 but he was able to pull off a few. For example, one of his most important was also one you likely missed: a candid photo with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. 

Putin was photographed shaking hands with Orbán in China during the third Belt and Road Forum, and the image was hotly debated in the West for what it meant and why it was important for Putin at the time. 

Putin’s photo with Orbán was the first public handshake between the Russian President and a European Union leader since Moscow invaded Ukraine according to Politico, and the optics weren’t good for the West. 

Hungary was, and still is, a part of the wider North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that has used its military might to offset the power of the Russian military in Ukraine. But under Orbán, Hungary has moved closer to Russia. 

This was best exemplified by the many policy decisions Orbán has undertaken during the Russian invasion of Ukriane that have favored Moscow and left Kyiv and its Western allies puzzled as to where Hungary’s loyalties lie in the conflict. 

Justin Spike and Ken Mortisugu of the Associated Press reported Orbán’s “stance on the war has confounded its European partners” adding that Hungary’s position has “led to deadlocks in providing financial and military assistance to Kyiv.”

“O​​rbán has refused to supply Ukraine with weapons and not allowed their transfer across the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. He has also threatened to veto EU sanctions against Moscow, though has always ultimately voted in favor of them,” added Spike and Mortisugu. 

One of the most concerning moves made by Orbán and his government was the choice to end Hungary’s aid to Ukraine in September 2023 unless the language rights of ethnic Hungarians were restored in Ukraine. 

Foreign Policy noted that Orbán had previously criticized Kyiv over a 2017 law restricting the use of minority languages in the country’s school system, a law that Orbán argued affected 150,000 ethnic Hungarians. 

However, Orbán’s support for Russia might have a lot more to do with how he and Putin govern their countries rather than the Hungarian Prime Minister’s concerns about ethnic Hungarian language rights in Ukraine. 

Foreign Policy’s Alexandra Sharp wrote that Orbán and Putin share a lot of “similarities in governance, ideology, and views on Western expansion,” which she said was due to the fact both were far-right autocratic leaders. 

The comradire between the two leaders was certainly on display during their meeting in China. Orbán reaffirmed that Hungary never wanted to confront Russia while Putin noted the ability to exchange views was important. 

"Hungary has never sought to confront Russia,” Orbán said according to a report by the Russian News Agency. “The opposite is true: Hungary has always pursued the goal of building and expanding the best communication.”

Justin Spike and Ken Mortisugu reported that Orbán’s meeting with Putin could have served as a political boon for Russia, writing that Putin might use his in-person talk with the Hungarian leader as a sign that unity in the European Union was fracturing. 

Orbán took to Facebook after his meeting with Putin and issued a statement renewing his calls for a ceasefire, writing: “In Europe today, one question is on everyone’s mind: will there be a cease-fire in Ukraine,” according to the Associated Press. 

The Hungarian Prime Minister added that the most important thing for Hungary was that “the flood of refugees, the sanctions, and the fighting” should stop, a message that would be well-received on all sides. But under what terms?

Putin and Orbán last spoke face-to-face just three weeks before Moscow unleashed its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The two leaders met on February 1st, 2022 according to Reuters, and they spoke for several hours. 

More recently, Orbán has relaxed his issue with Ukraine. However, he also blocked Kyiv's bid to start Ukrainian succession talks to join the European Union in December 2023 according to Reuters. But he also stated Hungary should not share a border with Russia. 

"Hungary's interest is that there should always be a territory controlled by another state between it and Russia. The big boys agree on everything else," Orbán said on December 21st, 2023 according to the Russian News Agency (TASS).

In mid-February 2024, Orbán reiterated his view that Ukraine should be a buffer zone between the West and Russia, saying during a conversation with former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel published in Die Presse and reprinted in Ukrainska Pravda that Ukraine's best prospect was as a buffer state. 

"Whether you like it or not, whether Ukrainians like it or not, Ukraine is where it is on the map. The best prospect is for it to be a buffer zone between Russia and the West – with security guarantees, of course," Orbán said. 

"If that doesn’t work, Ukraine will continue losing territory," Orbán continued. "Russia will destroy Ukraine again and again and again. Russia will never accept having an EU and NATO member like Ukraine on its borders, never."