Hungary's Viktor Orban defied the EU Friday by promising Vladimir Putin he will keep buying Russian oil, as he attended a Kremlin meeting held in the midst of a diplomatic push to end Moscow's Ukraine offensive.
Orban -- in power in the EU and NATO country since 2010 -- has throughout the war maintained ties with the Kremlin, while also criticising Hungary's neighbour Ukraine.
It was the Hungarian nationalist's fourth meeting with Putin since Moscow launched Europe's worst conflict since World War II.
The talks will have infuriated Brussels, which has called on EU members to end their dependence on Russian energy and is trying to make its voice heard in peace settlement negotiations on Ukraine.
"We have not given up cooperation (with Russia) in any area, regardless of any external pressure," Orban told Putin.
"I would like to reiterate that energy supplies from Russia form the basis of Hungary's energy supply now and will remain so in the future."
Orban this month said he would take the EU to court over a decision to phase out remaining Russian gas imports to the bloc.
Budapest is heavily reliant on Russian energy.
"We greatly appreciate the reliability and predictability of these supplies," Orban said.
Putin thanked the Hungarian leader for what he called Hungary's "balanced position" on Ukraine and for maintaining ties with Russia "despite all the difficulties."
He said Budapest-Moscow ties were based on "pragmatism".
Orban -- facing re-election next year -- said ahead of his trip that he was going to Moscow to "ensure Hungary's energy supply is secured for the winter and the following year at an affordable price".
The 62-year-old has presented himself as a potential mediator on the Ukraine war and reiterated that Hungary was "ready to serve as a venue for peace negotiations."
A summit between Putin and US President Donald Trump was meant to take place in Budapest in October but never happened.
'His own ideas on ending war'
Orban has boasted that Hungary had the lowest energy price in Europe thanks to its access to Russian gas and oil, which he says is "cheap relative to international price levels".
Close to Trump, a political ally, Orban used a trip to Washington earlier this month to secure a one-year US exemption from sanctions for buying Russian oil and gas.
But Washington is yet to publish the official waiver.
Trump had sanctioned Moscow's two largest oil companies in October after losing patience with Putin over his refusal to end the Ukraine offensive.
Orban's trip came a day after Putin once again demanded Ukraine give up land it controls.
The Hungarian leader is seen as the EU's bete noire, and the trip came as Europe scrambled to make sure the United States and Russia will not strike a deal over their heads.
Germany's Friedrich Merz said he was not surprised Orban was travelling to Moscow again.
"He is travelling without a European mandate and without any coordination with us," he said during a Berlin press conference.
"He has his own ideas about ending this war, which so far have not materialised," he added.
Orban has criticised Western support for Kyiv and has said Ukraine has no chance of winning against Russia.
He told Putin on Friday that the almost four-year war is harming Europe's economy and that he hopes the latest diplomatic proposals "will lead to a ceasefire and peace."
Putin has not dropped his maximalist demands that Ukraine cede even more land than Russia occupies.
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff is due in Moscow next week to discuss an updated US plan to end the Ukraine war with Putin.
The draft plan was initially seen as heeding to most of Putin's demands, but has been reworked by Washington after talks with Kyiv.
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