Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the Kremlin’s closest EU ally, congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on winning re-election in a vote condemned by the West, a spokesman said on Thursday.
“Orban congratulated Vladimir Putin on his re-election” and praised the maintenance of dialogue and “mutual respect” between Hungary and Russia “even in challenging geopolitical contexts”, Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Earlier on Thursday, Russia formalized Putin’s victory in last week’s presidential election, dismissing criticism by the West and independent Russian observers that it was the most corrupt vote in post-Soviet history.
Putin crushed three other hand-picked opponents, who each received tiny percentages of the vote.
None of them openly challenged the offensive in Ukraine or the repression that eradicated opposition and culminated in the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison in mid-February.
In his letter to Putin, whom he met in September 2023, the Hungarian nationalist leader said he was ready to “intensify cooperation in sectors not restricted by international law”.
Orban sought to soften EU sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has criticized Brussels’ policy.
While Hungary has adopted a conciliatory stance towards Moscow, which remains a key source of its energy needs, it maintains tense relations with Kyiv.
