The trip has drawn scrutiny because it comes just weeks before Hungary’s general election and amid Orbán’s continued opposition to key EU policies on Ukraine. Hungary is blocking a €90 billion EU loan package for Kyiv, and Orbán has repeatedly said he will not support Ukraine’s membership in the bloc. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on social media that meeting pro-Russian and anti-EU politicians in Budapest would be a serious mistake that could strengthen Putin. Nawrocki canceled a meeting with Orbán last November after the Hungarian leader’s held talks with the Russian president While the Polish head-of-state and the veteran Hungarian PM are united by their social conservatism and Euroscepticism, Nawrocki is a harsh critic of Russia, in contrast to Orbán.
