Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian PM Viktor Orban discussed Hungarian citizens captured while fighting for Ukraine, amid ongoing tensions over oil supplies.

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban discussed the status of Hungarian citizens captured while fighting for Ukraine.

The Kremlin stated the telephone conversation also touched on the broader conflict in Ukraine and its implications.

A key issue was the fate of ethnic Hungarians mobilised into the Ukrainian armed forces and subsequently taken prisoner by Russian forces.

Ukraine is home to a significant Hungarian minority, primarily residing in the western Zakarpattia region.

Orban has consistently criticised Kyiv for drafting ethnic Hungarians, maintaining one of the few close European relationships with Moscow throughout the war.

The Russian defence ministry recently published a video allegedly showing a captured dual Hungarian-Ukrainian citizen who was forced to enlist.

This follows a diplomatic incident last July where Hungary summoned Ukraine’s envoy over the alleged death of an ethnic Hungarian recruit.

Kyiv denied those allegations, stating the individual was legally mobilised and not assaulted.

The leaders’ call occurred alongside a separate standoff between Budapest and Kyiv regarding Russian oil supplies.

Ukraine claims the critical Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia was damaged by Russian air strikes in late January.

Both Hungary and Slovakia, Moscow’s closest EU partners, have accused Kyiv of deliberately delaying repairs to exert pressure.

Kyiv has firmly rejected these allegations of intentional stalling.

The Kremlin added that Putin and Orban also discussed the war in the Middle East and its impact on global energy markets.

 The Sun Malaysia