Hungary’s Orban and ally Putin cement closer ties
Trump’s ascendancy and the wave of populism sweeping across Europe is emboldening the two strongmen, analysts say
Budapest — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban cemented closer ties at talks on Thursday, amid growing EU rifts over sanctions against Moscow because of its meddling in Ukraine. The Budapest meeting with the right-wing Orban — who wants the European Union to lift its punitive measures — was Putin’s first visit to a bloc member since the shock election of US President Donald Trump in November. Experts said Trump’s ascendancy and the wave of populism sweeping across Europe is emboldening the two strongmen to push harder against the EU. At a joint press conference with Putin, Orban denounced what he called “a strong anti-Russian atmosphere” in the West. “Anti-Russian policies have become fashionable in the West,” he said. But “the world is in the process of a substantial realignment and we believe that this realignment will create more favourable conditions for the EU-Russia”, Orban said. “It’s hard to foresee global economic prosperity without Ru...
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