Polish President cancels meeting with Hungarian PM following Orbán–Putin talks

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has canceled his planned meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after the latter’s recent visit to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Nawrocki is scheduled to travel to Esztergom, Hungary, on Wednesday for a two-day visit to attend the Visegrad Group leaders’ summit — the informal regional cooperation format of four Central European countries: Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.

On Thursday, the Polish President and the First Lady were expected to continue to Budapest for an official visit, where Nawrocki was set to hold several meetings, including one with Orbán.

“Based on the political legacy of President Lech Kaczyński, who consistently highlighted that Europe’s security depends on solidarity, including in the energy sector, and in view of Orbán’s visit to Moscow and its context, Nawrocki has decided to limit his trip to Hungary to participation in the Visegrad Group presidents’ summit in Esztergom,” said Marcin Przydacz, head of the International Policy Bureau of the Polish President’s Chancellery.

Przydacz added Nawrocki will discuss security and regional cooperation in Central Europe together with the presidents of Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary.