Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán offered to assist Vladimir Putin in any way possible during a telephone call on 17 October, according to a transcript obtained by Bloomberg News. In the call, Orbán reportedly told the Russian president: “In any matter where I can be of assistance, I am at your service.”
The transcript, which Bloomberg said came from Hungarian government records, shows Orbán comparing the relationship to Aesop’s fable of a mouse freeing a lion from a net. “Our friendship rose to such a high level that I can help in any way,” Orbán is quoted as saying, drawing a laugh from Putin.
The revelation comes as US Vice-President JD Vance arrived in Budapest on Tuesday, and as Hungary prepares for a closely fought general election. Critics have long described Orbán, the EU’s most Moscow-friendly leader, as “Putin’s Trojan horse”. The disclosure has intensified scrutiny of Budapest’s ties with the Kremlin.
In the call, Putin praised Hungary’s “independent and flexible” stance on his war in Ukraine, according to the transcript. The conversation ended with both leaders inquiring about each other’s health, with Orbán saying goodbye in Russian.
The election, scheduled for this weekend, sees Orbán facing a strong challenge from Péter Magyar, a former Fidesz insider. Most polls suggest Orbán could be ousted after 16 years in power, a prospect that has mobilised rightwing leaders worldwide and drawn attention from the EU, which has expressed outrage over leaked audio involving Hungary’s foreign minister and his Russian counterpart.
