Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the Kremlin’s closest EU ally, on Thursday congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection regardless of condemnation of the vote by many Western governments.
The European Union, of which Hungary is a member, stated the March 15-17 election had been held “in a highly restricted environment exacerbated also by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.” Some EU ministers referred to as the vote a sham.
But Hungarian authorities spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs stated Orban had, in a letter to Moscow, “congratulated Vladimir Putin on his reelection, noting that the cooperation between Hungary and Russia, based on mutual respect, enables important discussions even in challenging geopolitical contexts.”
“PM Orban affirmed Hungary’s commitment to peace and readiness to intensify cooperation in sectors not restricted by international law, underlining the importance of dialogue in fostering peaceful relations,” Kovacs wrote on social media platform X, previously generally known as Twitter.
Hungary cultivates nearer ties with Russia than different EU states. Last October, Orban stated he was “proud” of his contacts with Putin, whom he met in China regardless of EU efforts to isolate Moscow for waging battle on Ukraine.
Hungary stated on Thursday it could not be part of a Czech-led ammunition initiative to acquire and ship weapons to Ukraine.
While Western governments lined up on Monday to sentence Putin’s landslide, China, India and North Korea congratulated him on extending his rule by an additional six years.
Source: www.dailysabah.com