Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed dissatisfaction with Putin’s frequent visits to Hungary
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Witold Waszczykowski, stated in an interview with the newspaper Valasz that he was not happy with the frequent visits of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Hungary.
"We are not happy, because we see Russia in a different way. But this is natural, because our geopolitical situation is also different, too. Fortunately, Hungary has no borders with Russia and therefore it is not directly threatened. The Polish-Russian border in Kaliningrad is more than 200 km long, ballistic missiles have been deployed in the region, and from time to time we receive direct threats," Waszczykowski said.
He noted that the EU countries should have a common opinion on Russia.
At the same time, the Minister noted that he has already discussed this subject with the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Szijjarto, as well as with Prime Minister Viktor Orban. According to Waszczykowski, they do not feel any direct threat from Russia.
Waszczykowski explained that he understood Hungary's dependence on Russian gas. At the same time he expressed confidence that by 2022 the EU countries would be completely independent from it.
Putin and Orban hold regular meetings where they discuss the development of economic relations. The last time the Russian leader was in Budapest was in early September at the opening ceremony of the World Judo Championships. Prior to that, Putin visited Budapest in February. At that time the Russian president promised Orban "to do everything" to continue to supply gas to Hungary.