Putin to visit EU nation Hungary as Russian influence grows

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Hungary takes him to the country that is the Kremlin’s strongest beachhead in the European Union and NATO, two groups that generally regard Russia with unease.

The focus of Putin’s trip, which begins Wednesday, will be his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose disdain for liberal democracy mirrors Putin’s. Orban has fiercely opposed immigration, including building razor-wire border fences to deter migrants, and has limited media freedoms. He has also denounced Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros, whom Putin also dislikes.

The relationship also has a strong foundation in economics, especially natural gas. Hungary has long relied on Russia for most of its gas and that dependence is likely to increase when Russia’s Gazprom state gas monopoly completes the Turkstream pipeline that runs under the Black Sea to Turkey, with a branch planned to serve Hungary.