Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban offered last year to help Russian President Vladimir Putin 'in any way', such as by hosting a summit in Budapest to resolve the war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported, citing a transcript of a phone call between the two leaders, Reuters reported.
A Hungarian government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the conversation, which is believed to have taken place on October 17.
There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin. Orban, a eurosceptic nationalist in power since 2010, faces his toughest re-election bid in 16 years in parliamentary elections on December 12. April
Orban has built good relations with Putin despite the war in Ukraine and has maintained Hungary's heavy dependence on Russian oil and gas. Citing a dispute with Kiev over the war-damaged Druzhba pipeline, Orban also blocked a European Union loan for Ukraine that had been agreed in December. The cordial conversation between Orban and Putin came after U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to a second summit on the war in Ukraine, which was to be held in the Hungarian capital.
In the phone call, Orban called Putin a friend, noting that their close ties date back to a 2009 meeting in St. Petersburg. "But yesterday our friendship rose to such a high level that I can help in any way - there is a story in our Hungarian children's books where the mouse helps the lion," he told Putin, according to the transcript. "I am ready to "I will help you immediately. I am at your service for any matter I can help you with," he allegedly added in the conversation.
In response, Putin told Orbán that he highly valued their relationship and added that in his opinion Budapest would be the only European country that would be an acceptable place for a possible meeting with Trump.
At the time, Hungary said it would ensure that Putin, who is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court - an institution from which Orbán's government is in the process of withdrawing - could enter the country to meet Trump.
Putin also said during the conversation with Orbán that he "highly appreciated his independent and flexible position on the crisis in Ukraine."
The publication of the conversation follows the publication by an investigative media outlet of an audio recording in which Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov discussed EU sanctions.