In a striking diplomatic rebuke within Central Europe, Polish President Karol Nawrocki has canceled his planned meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, citing Orbán’s controversial visit to Moscow just days earlier. The move — confirmed Sunday by officials in Warsaw — signals growing frustration in Poland over Budapest’s continued alignment with the Kremlin.
Nawrocki Limits Hungary Visit to V4 Summit Only
According to presidential aide Marcin Przydacz, Nawrocki will travel to Hungary on Wednesday for the Visegrád Group (V4) summit in the city of Esztergom, but he has scrapped all bilateral meetings with Hungarian leaders, including Orbán and President Tamás Sulyok.
“President Nawrocki decided to limit his visit strictly to the V4 summit,” Przydacz posted on X. Polish media report that Nawrocki originally planned a two-day visit, including a trip to Budapest with his wife. That agenda is now canceled.
Orbán’s Moscow Visit Sparks Regional Tensions
Orbán, long viewed as the Kremlin’s closest ally inside the EU, traveled to Moscow on Friday for talks with Vladimir Putin — the same leader whose military launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. After the meeting, Orbán reaffirmed Hungary’s commitment to continued cooperation with Russia, including long-term dependence on Russian oil and gas.
Hungary has repeatedly sought exemptions from both EU and U.S. sanctions targeting Russian energy. Orbán insists such deals are necessary for national security; Warsaw views them as a dangerous geopolitical gamble.
Poland: Europe’s Security Depends on Energy Unity
Przydacz emphasized that the president’s decision was tied directly to concerns over Orbán’s Moscow outreach. “Europe’s security depends on solidarity — including in energy,” he said.
At the V4 summit, Nawrocki will meet leaders of Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary, with security cooperation and Central European stability at the top of the agenda.
The canceled meeting marks one of Poland’s strongest public signals yet that Orbán’s pro-Russia foreign policy is increasingly out of step with regional partners.