Poland’s president has cancelled a planned meeting with the Hungarian prime minister following the latter’s recent visit to Moscow
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has decided to curtail his next trip to Hungary in response to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s recent visit to Moscow. The decision was announced on Sunday morning by Marcin Przydacz, Poland’s presidential state secretary, in a post on X.
Orban met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Ukraine, trade, and energy supplies on Friday despite the EU’s diplomatic boycott of Russia over the conflict with Kiev. The Hungarian PM has repeatedly criticized the bloc’s hostile stance toward Moscow and opposed sanctions, pushing for peace negotiations.
Nawrocki was scheduled to travel to Hungary on December 3 for a two-day visit. Under the original plan, he was to attend a summit of Visegrad Group leaders – Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia – and hold an official meeting with Orban in Budapest the following day. The second day has now been canceled.
In his post, Przydacz said Nawrocki had decided to limit his upcoming trip “solely to the summit of Visegrad Group presidents,” citing the security legacy of the late Polish President Lech Kaczynski and the importance of European solidarity, including on energy issues.
Earlier on Saturday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto defended Orban’s trip to Moscow, dismissing criticism from what he called “European pro-war politicians.” He emphasized that Hungary does “not need permission” and pursues a sovereign foreign policy guided by national interests.
Szijjarto was responding to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s comment that the Hungarian PM had traveled to Moscow “without a European mandate,” while Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob alleged the Hungarian leader “has not been playing for the European team for some time.”
Hungary has refused to send weapons to Kiev or to solely blame Russia for the conflict. During a meeting in the Kremlin, Putin thanked Orban for his “reasonable position on the Ukraine issue.”
