Kiev, allies slam Orban for Ukraine talks with Putin

Kiev and its Western allies hit out at Hungarian leader Viktor Orban on Friday after Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted him in Moscow for talks on the Ukraine conflict.

Putin told Orban, Russia's closest EU ally, that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from regions that Moscow has annexed if it wants peace.

But Kiev was "not ready to drop the idea of waging war until a victorious end", he added, calling the talks at the Kremlin a "really useful, frank conversation" on the conflict.

EU officials, the United States and NATO blasted the Hungarian prime minister's surprise trip.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico offered a rare voice of support, saying he would have joined Orban had his health permitted after surviving an assassination attempt in May.

The Russian and Hungarian leaders "talked about the possible ways of resolving" the Ukraine conflict, Putin said in remarks after a bilateral meeting.

Orban, who visited Kiev earlier this week, in turn said "positions are far apart" between the two sides with "many" steps needed to achieve peace.

The visit came days after Hungary took over the EU's rotating presidency and Putin told Orban he expected him to outline "the position of European partners" on Ukraine.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry lambasted the meeting, stressing that the trip "was made by the Hungarian side without any agreement or coordination with Ukraine".

  No EU mandate  

European Union leaders also lashed out at Orban over the trip.

"Appeasement will not stop Putin," European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.

"Only unity and determination will pave the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

EU foreign...