OREANDA-NEWS For Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not only a way to raise his weight in the international arena, but also a tool for solving domestic political problems, says Konstantin Kalachev, a political scientist and head of the Political Expert Group. He mentioned the purpose of the visit in an interview with Lenta.ru".

Earlier, Orban announced his visit to Moscow to meet with Putin. The politician noted that the purpose of the meeting with the Russian leader was to ensure uninterrupted oil and gas supplies and discuss peace initiatives on the conflict in Ukraine.

In 2024, Orban's party showed the worst result of all time in the European Parliament elections, not receiving even half of the votes, the political scientist pointed out. Last year's polls show that the opposition is ahead of it and their leader Peter Magyar has every chance of winning the elections next year, he added.

"For Orban, of course, it is important to show that he is a link, for example, between Putin and [US President Donald] Trump, that he is involved in resolving the Ukrainian problem, but for him the main topic is energy cooperation. Trump lifted sanctions on him, at least for a year, meaning Hungary can trade with Russia, and Orban is going to Moscow to provide Hungary with energy supplies for the winter next year at an affordable price. That is, in fact, he needs to show his benefits for Hungarians, to show his merits," Kalachev shared.

Earlier, the Russian president commented on a possible meeting with Orban. According to him, there are contacts with Budapest regarding negotiations with the Hungarian Prime Minister in Moscow. Putin stressed that he knows Orban's position and considers it quite objective.