Putin welcomes Hungary’s Orbán to Moscow

Russia’s Vladimir Putin welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to Moscow on Friday. “We have important areas of cooperation, and we haven’t given up on any area of that cooperation, no matter the external pressure,” Orbán stated. The United States recently exempted Hungary from sanctions to allow it to continue importing large amounts of Russian oil and gas. Such exemptions and continued partnership with Putin as he wages war on Ukraine are controversial, and as a result, Polish President Karol Nawrocki canceled his December 4 meeting with Orbán. This is a vivid indication of how complex the relationships are between European states and Russia. Orban is leading Europe toward the Catholic Church and toward strongman leadership. All Europe will soon go in this direction. The fact that he is so chummy with Putin is interesting; Orban once took the lead in breaking Hungary out of the Soviet bloc. He is a bellwether showing where the political wind is blowing.