Polish President Karol Nawrocki has canceled a planned meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán following Orbán’s visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Marcin Przydacz, head of the International Policy Bureau of the Polish President’s Office, announced that on Wednesday, Dec. 3, Nawrocki will travel to Hungary for a two-day visit to attend the Visegrad Group leaders’ summit.
On Thursday, the president and his wife had been scheduled to make an official visit to Budapest, which was to include meetings with Orbán.
Przydacz emphasized that Nawrocki has consistently advocated for finding real ways to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“Invoking in his policy the legacy of President Lech Kaczyński, who stressed that European security depends on solidarity… and in connection with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visit to Moscow and its context, President Nawrocki has decided to limit the program of his visit to Hungary solely to the Visegrad Group Presidents’ Summit in Esztergom,” he said.
During the summit, Nawrocki will discuss regional security and cooperation with the presidents of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Orbán arrived in Moscow on Friday for talks with Putin, focusing on securing Hungary’s energy supplies and discussing possible “peace efforts” related to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Orbán announced the visit via his Facebook page, saying his priority was to guarantee Hungary’s energy security.
“I am going [to Moscow] to ensure that Hungary’s energy supply is secured for the winter and next year,” he said.
When asked whether the war in Ukraine would also be part of the discussions, Orbán replied: “We can hardly avoid that,” indicating that the invasion and potential paths toward a settlement would be addressed.
Hungary remains deeply dependent on Russian energy, even as the European Union works to reduce its reliance on Moscow. Orbán has maintained closer ties with the Kremlin than most EU and NATO leaders since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Orbán has also previously floated the idea of reviving a proposed “peace summit” in Budapest between Trump and Putin - an initiative that was shelved earlier in the year.
While most European leaders have distanced themselves from Moscow, Orbán continues to question the effectiveness of Western military aid to Kyiv, despite evidence - such as Ukraine’s successful strikes against Russia’s oil infrastructure - showing its impact.
He has positioned Hungary as a proponent of renewed dialogue and a negotiated settlement.