Orban Is First EU Leader to Meet Putin Since Arrest Warrant
- Hungarian, Russian leaders discuss energy at Beijing meeting
- Hungarian premier faces growing isolation in the EU, NATO
Vladimir Putin, right, meets Viktor Orban in Beijing on Oct. 17.
Photographer: Grigory Sysoyev/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban became the first European Union premier to meet with President Vladimir Putin since an international warrant was issued against the Russian leader over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
Orban met Putin Tuesday in Beijing, where both leaders are attending the Belt and Road Initiative forum hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The leaders discussed cooperation on gas, oil and nuclear energy, Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.