Participating in the meeting from the Russian side were Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, and Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov. Representing Hungary were Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Construction and Transport Janos Lazar, and Chief National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Hungary Marcell Biro.
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Beginning of Russian-Hungarian talks
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, colleagues.
Allow me to extend a very warm welcome to you here in Moscow.
It is a great pleasure to see you in person. We are in regular contact by phone and our teams are in constant communication. I am particularly pleased that, despite the undoubted challenges of the present time, our relationship remains strong and continues to move forward.
Ours is a relationship with a long and complex history, but today it is built on the strongest foundation of the best in our shared past, as well as on pragmatism – a pragmatic approach to our bilateral ties.
We have known each other for many years, and I know you first and foremost as a steadfast champion of Hungary’s interests and the Hungarian people.
While our views on certain international issues may not always align, we have developed a relationship where we can speak with complete frankness and address any issues. This open dialogue allows us not only to address them but also to work together on finding solutions.
We are aware of your balanced position on the situation in Ukraine.
Turning to our bilateral relations, I must note with regret that last year we saw a decline in mutual trade. This was primarily due to external restrictions, but the scale of the decrease, 23 percent, is nonetheless significant.
That said, the outlook is promising. This year, we have already seen a modest recovery, with growth of over seven percent.
Our energy cooperation, of course, remains a cornerstone of our partnership, and there are several specific matters that we need to address.
Once again, we are delighted to have you with us. Welcome.
Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban (retranslated): Mr President,
First of all, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to hold talks with you here today. This is the 14th time I have met with you in the capacity of prime minister.
I believe that we have accomplished a great deal, considering the current historical moment, for the development of interaction between our nations, and I sincerely hope that we will be able to achieve even more.
As Mr President knows, we are pursuing a sovereign foreign policy. We have been consistent in our policy towards Russia. We are cooperating in vital spheres and have not yielded to external pressure; we have not terminated our interaction in any of these vital spheres.
I would like to emphasise that stable Russian energy deliveries in the past, today, and in the future are the foundation of Hungary’s energy security. We highly value the stability and predictability of Russian energy deliveries. Hungary is interested in maintaining an energy dialogue with your country, and today I would like to discuss this block of issues in detail.
Ukraine is a neighbour of Hungary, which is why Hungary fully feels the effects of the Ukrainian conflict, including a considerable economic impact, because economic cooperation is being hindered by the hostilities. This is true both for Europe and for us.
I would also like to reiterate what I told you during our previous meeting: Hungary is interested in peace, and we sincerely hope that the peace initiatives recently made public will eventually bring about peace.
Mr President, our meeting today offers an opportunity to reaffirm that Hungary is ready to provide a venue for such negotiations and to assist in the successful conclusion of that process.
I would like to thank you once again for meeting with us.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you for your reaction to the possibility of my meeting with the US President in your country. The idea was put forward by Donald, who said, “We have good relations with Hungary, and both you and I have good relations with Viktor, so I suggest this option.” We accepted it with pleasure, of course.
If there comes a moment in our negotiations when we will use Budapest as the venue, I would be glad to do so. I would like to thank you for your readiness to provide assistance.
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