Polish President Karol Nawrocki has cancelled a planned meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban after Orban’s recent visit to Moscow. The decision, announced by Poland’s presidential state secretary Marcin Przydacz on Sunday, comes as Orban met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to discuss Ukraine, trade and energy supplies, despite the EU’s diplomatic boycott of Russia over the conflict with Kyiv.
Nawrocki had been scheduled to travel to Hungary on 3 December for a two‑day visit that would have included a Visegrad Group summit and an official meeting with Orban. With the meeting now cancelled, Nawrocki will attend only the Visegrad summit. Przydacz cited the security legacy of the late Polish President Lech Kaczyński and the importance of European solidarity—particularly on energy issues—as the rationale for the move.
Orban’s Moscow trip has drawn criticism from several European leaders. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Hungarian premier traveled to Moscow “without a European mandate,” while Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob accused Orban of “not playing for the European team for some time.” Hungary’s foreign minister, Peter Szijjártó, defended the visit, emphasizing Hungary’s sovereign foreign policy and national interests. Hungary has refused to send weapons to Kyiv or to place sole blame on Russia for the war, and during his meeting with Putin, Orban was thanked for his “reasonable position on the Ukraine issue.”
The episode underscores ongoing divisions within the EU over how to handle the Ukraine conflict and relations with Russia. The cancellation of the Nawrocki‑Orban meeting highlights the tension between Poland, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, and Hungary, which has taken a more neutral stance. The Visegrad Group summit, which Nawrocki will still attend, will give the leaders of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia a chance to discuss regional matters, including energy security and cooperation.
Comments are closed for this story.