Viktor Orban is the only European leader to have maintained close ties with the Kremlin, while maintaining complicated relations with Ukraine. In December he blocked the payment of aid of 50 billion euros over four years to Ukraine.
He has since said he is ready to support Kiev but “outside the common budget” and with the possibility of an annual review. An extraordinary summit is planned for Thursday in Brussels to try to find a compromise. The head of Hungarian diplomacy Peter Szijjarto has never set foot in Ukraine since the launch of the Russian offensive, although he has visited Moscow several times.