Germany, Hungary Clash Over Orban’s Freelance Meeting With Putin

Hungary cancels visit by German Foreign Minister Baerbock
Orban urged Zelenskiy to accept a cease-fire with Russia

Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin after delivering a joint press statement following their talks in Moscow on July 5.
Photographer: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

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By Michael Nienaber

July 5, 2024 at 8:51 PM UTC

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Hungary abruptly told Germany’s foreign minister that she wasn’t welcome after her boss, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, excoriated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban over his unannounced trip to Moscow.

Orban met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday as part of a self-styled “peace mission” to gauge the chances for an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, triggering condemnation from Scholz and other European Union leaders who said Orban had no mandate to represent the bloc.