News analysis

Hungary's Orban continues to defy the EU with Russia trip

Clash between his country and the Union, which pits east against west, has potential to damage European cohesion

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) talking to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at a judo championship in Budapest last year. Mr Orban is an outspoken opponent of continued Western sanctions against Russia and has expressed open admiration
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) talking to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at a judo championship in Budapest last year. Mr Orban is an outspoken opponent of continued Western sanctions against Russia and has expressed open admiration for Mr Putin. PHOTO: REUTERS
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban flies to Moscow today for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about trade links.

But Mr Orban's Russia visit is also being interpreted as an act of defiance in the European Union. For Hungary is currently locked in a major confrontation with the EU, a tussle which largely pits the western part of the continent against its eastern, former communist half, and which has the potential to damage European cohesion just as much as Britain's impending departure from the Union.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 18, 2018, with the headline Hungary's Orban continues to defy the EU with Russia trip. Subscribe