Hungarian PM Orban Offered Assistance to Putin in 2023 Phone Call, Transcript Shows

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban offered assistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral phone call in October 2023, according to a transcript obtained by Bloomberg. Orban likened his support to a mouse helping a lion in a Hungarian fable, stating that their friendship had reached new heights.

The call included references to former US President Donald Trump and a proposed summit in Budapest to address the war in Ukraine, which did not occur.

In the conversation, Orban expressed willingness to help Putin 'in any way that I can' and noted that their friendship had strengthened since their first meeting in St. Petersburg in 2009. He added, 'The more friends we have, the more possibilities we have to stand up to our adversaries,' and expressed regret over reduced in-person meetings due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Putin reportedly praised Hungary's approach to the Ukraine war as 'sovereign and flexible' and questioned the controversy surrounding Orban's policies.

The phone call occurred amid ongoing concerns about Hungary's ties with Moscow, particularly as an EU and NATO member.

Orban and Putin had spoken to Trump the day before the call about hosting a summit in Budapest to end the Ukraine war. Bloomberg reported that the exchange maintained a diplomatic tone throughout. Reports have highlighted potential Russian election interference in Hungary's parliamentary election scheduled for Sunday.

In March, claims emerged of a Kremlin working group sent to support Orban, though Russia's embassy in Budapest denied the allegations. The Financial Times reported a Kremlin-backed disinformation campaign portraying Orban as a strong leader and opposition candidate Peter Magyar as a 'puppet of Brussels'.

The Washington Post reported that Russian intelligence allegedly proposed a fake assassination attempt against Orban to influence the election, though it did not proceed.

Orban stated that Ukrainians had threatened him and his family under the watch of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto faced scrutiny last month after reports that he shared confidential EU meeting details with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before and after sessions; Szijjarto denied exchanges during meetings.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that a Hungarian minister should work for the benefit of the European Union, not its rivals.

' These incidents underscore tensions over Hungary's relations with Russia as the election approaches, potentially affecting EU sanctions and decisions on Ukraine.