Orbán calls Putin "fair partner", says "Hungarians can benefit from him"

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has stated that Hungary is forging friendships and partnerships globally, including with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, because Hungarians can benefit from these relationships.

Source: Orbán in an interview with the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Orbán stated that the foreign policy of a rational country is to build friendships, emphasising that Hungary should seek to have as many countries as possible invested in its success.

"The US president-elect likes Hungary. The Chinese president has visited two European Union countries – France and Hungary. The president of Türkiye is our friend, the president [sic] of Russia is our fair partner, and the prime minister of Israel is our good friend," Orbán said, adding that "there has hardly been anything like this in the history of Hungarian diplomacy".

"Spinning these plates simultaneously so that none of them fall over and their conflicts with each other do not damage relations with us is a difficult task, but not impossible. The reason why we need to gather friends in the world is so that Hungarians, all Hungarians, can benefit from it in a tangible way," Orbán explained.

Background:

• In the same interview, Orban expressed his belief that the war between Russia and Ukraine will end in 2025, either through peace talks or the destruction of one of the warring parties.
• On 11 December, Orbán had a one-hour phone call with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.
• After speaking with him, the Hungarian prime minister began promoting the idea of a "Christmas truce" in Ukraine. This prompted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to accuse Orbán of using the issue for PR and urge him not to manipulate the topic of the war in Ukraine.

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