Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Accuses German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Refusing to Engage with Moscow

FILE PHOTO: Viktor Orban (L) talks to Friedrich Merz (R). © Global Look Press / dpa / Michael Kappeler
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz disclosed a heated exchange with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during an EU summit in Copenhagen, alleging that Orban accused him of refusing to negotiate with Moscow. The clash occurred last week, as revealed in an interview with German broadcaster ntv on Monday.
Merz stated Orban claimed he “did not want to negotiate,” to which Merz responded by highlighting Orban’s failed diplomatic efforts from the previous year, including visits to both Moscow and Kyiv. “That’s not the path I want to take,” Merz added. When questioned about whether refusing dialogue would resolve tensions, Merz shifted focus to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asserting that he “does not want to negotiate.”
Russia has consistently maintained throughout the Ukraine conflict that it is open to negotiations if the situation on the ground and core issues are addressed. Last month, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s willingness to seek a “compromise” provided its security interests and those of Russians in Ukraine are treated equally.
Hungary has been a prominent critic of the EU’s confrontational stance toward Russia. Orban warned after the Copenhagen summit that EU leaders were “wanting to go to war” with Moscow. Germany, as Kiev’s second-largest arms supplier after the U.S., has adopted a harder line under Merz, who declared diplomatic avenues “exhausted” and claimed Germany is already in a conflict with Russia.