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Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reportedly offered Russian President Vladimir Putin his friendship and assistance, including by hosting peace talks in Budapest, in a phone call last year adding to concerns about Hungary’s ties with Moscow.
The news was first reported by US news agency Bloomberg on Tuesday, citing a transcript from a bilateral call in October 2025 from the Hungarian government.
“Yesterday, our friendship reached such heights that I am willing to help in any way I can,” Orbán reportedly said, adding: “I am at your disposal for any matter where I can help.”
During the call, Orbán referenced a Hungarian fable in which a mouse frees a lion caught in a net because the lion had once spared the mouse’s life.
According to the minutes, Putin laughed at the comparison.
Bloomberg reports the call largely consisted of exchanges in a diplomatic tone, including references to former US President Donald Trump.
Orbán and Putin had both spoken to Trump the day before about a possible summit in Budapest to host a summit to end the war in Ukraine, which ultimately did not materialise.
Orbán reportedly told Putin that their friendship had strengthened since their first meeting in St Petersburg in 2009. “The more friends we have, the more possibilities we have to stand up to our adversaries,” he said. He also expressed regret at not being able to meet Putin in person as regularly as before the coronavirus pandemic.
Putin reportedly praised Hungary’s “sovereign and flexible” approach to the war in Ukraine and questioned why Orbán’s centrist policies were causing controversy.
Russian election interference
As Hungary’s closely fought election approaches on Sunday, reports have highlighted Moscow’s growing relation with the Hungarian government, looking for an ally within the EU and NATO structures capable of swaying sanctions and decisions.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó came under scrutiny last month after reports suggested that he shared confidential EU meeting details with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, including during meetings. Szijjártó denied the exchanges happened during meetings, but he conceded he did brief his Russian counterpart before and after.
The EU’s top European diplomat Kaja Kallas called out his behaviour saying a Hungarian minister should work in the benefit of the European Union, not its rivals, while Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his actions were a “disgrace.”
In March, reports suggested a Kremlin working group had been sent to Hungary to support Orbán, although Russia’s embassy in Budapest denied the claims.
The Financial Times later reported a Kremlin-backed disinformation campaign portraying Orbán as a strong leader and opposition candidate Péter Magyar as a “puppet of Brussels”.
The Washington Post also claimed Russian intelligence allegedly proposed a fake assassination attempt against Orbán to sway the election, although it didn’t go ahead. The Hungarian leader did state, however, that Ukrainians has threatened him and his family under the watch of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
