BUDAPEST – In a move that raises eyebrows across Europe, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made his way to Moscow for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The agenda centers around energy, a crucial topic as the conflict in Ukraine persists.

Orbán’s visit marks his second trip to Moscow since last year, underscoring his position as perhaps the closest ally to Putin among European Union leaders. Prior to his departure on Friday morning, Orbán highlighted the core purpose of his visit: securing Hungary’s access to “cheap Russian oil and gas,” commodities currently under U.S. sanctions.

Standing almost alone in the EU, Hungary continues to import significant amounts of Russian fossil fuels, firmly resisting the bloc’s initiatives to reduce dependency on Russian energy. Earlier this month, Orbán achieved a diplomatic victory in Washington, securing an exemption from U.S. sanctions against Russian energy giants Lukoil and Rosneft. This exemption is seen as a vital safeguard for Hungary’s energy security, according to Orbán.

In comments from Budapest on Friday, Orbán stated, “With our exemption from U.S. sanctions secured, our task now is to ensure a stable supply of oil and gas from Russia. My mission in Moscow is to guarantee affordable energy for Hungary through this winter and the next year.”

Orbán has consistently maintained that Russian energy is crucial for Hungary’s economic stability, warning that pivoting to alternative sources could trigger economic turmoil—a viewpoint that faces skepticism from critics. While the rest of Europe has moved to sever ties with Russian energy, Hungary has not only sustained but increased its imports, opposing an EU strategy to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027.

The Trump administration has said it is seeing signs that its sanctions on major Russian oil producers are crimping the economic engine that has allowed Moscow to continue to fund its war in Ukraine. Prices for Russian oil have plunged as major Indian and Chinese buyers moved to comply with U.S. sanctions before they went into effect last week, according to a senior Treasury Department official.

Meanwhile, Trump last week released a plan for ending the nearly four-year war. The 28-point proposal heavily favored Russia, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to quickly engage with American negotiators. European leaders, fearing for their own future facing Russian aggression, scrambled to steer the negotiations toward accommodating their concerns.

Trump said Tuesday that his plan to end the war had been “fine-tuned”, and that he’s sending envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia to meet with Putin and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to meet with Ukrainian officials. He suggested he could eventually meet with Putin and Zelenskyy, but not until further progress has been made in negotiations.