A short video released by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban provides a glimpse into his surprise trip to Moscow and meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Sunday, Orban shared a video on his Facebook page documenting his visit to Russia on Friday. The video, titled “Mission of peace. Second stop: Moscow,” also surfaced on RT Russian.
The video begins with Orban conversing with Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto while still on the plane before landing in the Russian capital. It then shows Orban receiving a red-carpet welcome at the airport and being transported to the Kremlin in an Aurus vehicle.
Aurus is a line of luxury vehicles introduced a decade ago to replace the fleet of largely foreign-made cars used by top Russian officials. The brand was first unveiled during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration in May 2018. A version of these vehicles serves as the Russian president’s official state car.
The video further shows Orban meeting with Putin in the Kremlin, with Szijjarto and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov present during the discussions. The two leaders are then seen addressing the media during a joint press conference, followed by Orban departing from the Kremlin.
Orban’s visit to Moscow came just days after his trip to Kiev, where he urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to seek peace with Russia. During that meeting, Orban argued that a ceasefire could serve as the initial step toward resolving the conflict. Zelensky, however, rejected the idea, maintaining that only a military victory could lead to a “just peace.”
Orban characterized his Moscow trip as the first step towards restoring dialogue. However, the move drew criticism from the EU, which stated that Orban, whose nation currently holds the bloc’s rotating presidency, had no mandate to speak on behalf of Brussels. Orban denied representing the bloc, arguing that peace could not be achieved “from a comfortable armchair in Brussels” and that waiting for the conflict to “miraculously end” would not work.