The Polish president’s decision has sparked political uproar in Central Europe. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán recently traveled to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin, prompting an immediate reaction from Warsaw.
According to the Presidential Office, due to the “political context” of Orbán’s visit to Russia, the president decided to shorten his stay in Hungary and cancel the planned bilateral meeting.
Poland reacts to Orbán’s move
President Nawrocki was scheduled to attend the Visegrad Group (V4) summit in Budapest. A personal meeting with Viktor Orbán was planned, but following reports of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s visit to Moscow, the schedule was suddenly changed.
The official announcement stated that:
“Due to the visit of the Hungarian Prime Minister to Russia and its political context, the President of the Republic of Poland decided to shorten the program of his stay in Budapest.”
Although no specific details were provided, the decision is widely interpreted as a clear signal of opposition to the actions of Orbán, who has been pursuing pro-Russian policies for months, often at odds with the EU and NATO lines.
Orbán and Putin – another political turn
Orbán’s visit to Putin sparked a wave of criticism in Europe.
The Hungarian Prime Minister has long maintained particularly close relations with Moscow, opposing, among other things, sanctions and blocking financial aid for Ukraine.
The meeting in Moscow was perceived by many commentators as:
weakening of European unity, a propaganda gift for the Kremlin, further proof that Budapest is drifting towards pro-Russian policies.
The decision of the Polish president is therefore interpreted as a clear signal:
Poland does not intend to legitimize Orbán’s moves, which may undermine European security.
Consequences for the Visegrad Group
The V4 format (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia) has been undergoing a serious crisis for some time now. The Czech Republic and Slovakia are openly distancing themselves from Budapest, while Poland—following the change of president—is increasingly critical of Hungary’s approach to Russia.
The cancellation of the meeting may be another step towards freezing cooperation within the V4, at least between Warsaw and Budapest.
What’s next?
Polish diplomacy emphasizes that the president will only take part in some of the summit meetings, but without bilateral talks with Orbán.
According to analysts, this is a clear signal that Warsaw:
expects greater solidarity from Hungary towards Ukraine, does not accept actions that strengthen Russia, and will react politically to gestures supporting the Kremlin.
Application
The decision of the Polish President is one of the most decisive gestures towards Viktor Orbán in recent years.
The situation shows that Budapest’s Russian policy is no longer tolerated even within the framework of former alliances — and the visit to Putin became a turning point in Polish-Hungarian relations.
Journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Nowiny Wschodnie, a news platform followed by more than 140,000 people on social media. A graduate in Journalism and Social Communication, he has been co-creating and developing Nowiny Wschodnie since 2017. He gained professional experience working with local and international media.
He specializes in fact-checking, countering disinformation and propaganda, and information security. His work focuses on Poland, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Polish-Ukrainian relations. He is also the founder of a non-profit organization working in the fields of integration and intercultural dialogue.