Putin hands over two prisoners of war to Hungary’s foreign minister

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday released two prisoners of war holding both Hungarian and Ukrainian citizenship and handed them over to Hungary’s foreign minister during a meeting in Moscow.

The men had been forcibly mobilized for front line service in Ukraine, Putin said during talks with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.

“You can take them with you,” Putin said in response to Szijjártó’s request for their release, footage broadcast on Russian television showed. He added that the men should travel back to Budapest on the minister’s plane.

A day earlier, Putin had spoken by phone with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who had also asked for the prisoners’ release.

Putin praised Hungary’s stance on the Ukraine war as balanced and independent, saying Budapest generally supports a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Orbán is regarded within the European Union as the national leader with the closest ties to the Kremlin. He last visited Moscow in November 2025 and has repeatedly opposed Western sanctions on Russia over the war.

Hungary continues to buy energy from Russia, and Putin assured Szijjártó that Russia intended to remain a reliable supplier.

Hungary currently receives no Russian crude oil through the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine, because Kiev says the route has been damaged by Russian attacks.

However, Ukrainian authorities have not yet allowed an inspection of the pipeline, a point of frustration for Budapest. Hungary has cited the issue as a reason for blocking a €90-billion EU loan package for Ukraine.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil infrastructure in an effort to reduce Moscow’s energy revenues, which help finance its war effort.