Orban meeting Putin in Moscow – DW – 11/28/2025

Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever has again expressed concerns about an EU proposal to use frozen Russian state assets in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The letter was seen by Reuters news agency and the Financial Times, among other media outlets.    

Last month, the EU sought to utilize the frozen assets as a €140 “reparations loan” for Ukraine, as it fends off the Russian invasion. 

De Wever put the brakes on the plan, as the Russian assets are held in Belgium. De Wever believes that Belgium could be forced to pay back money to Russia in the event of a lawsuit from Moscow.  

In the Thursday letter to von der Leyen, De Wever said the frozen assets proposal could harm efforts to reach a peace deal in Ukraine. 

“Hastily moving forward on the proposed reparations loan scheme would have, as collateral damage, that we as EU are effectively preventing an eventual peace deal,” De Wever said.  

De Wever said the “proposed reparations loan scheme is in my view fundamentally wrong.”   

“Such assets have been the object of decisions during after-war settlements, usually in the context of war reparations by the losing party,” the Belgian premier added. 

The European Commission is expected to try and assuage Belgium’s concerns about the frozen assets scheme this week in a new proposal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India next week on December 4 and 5. Putin’s state visit comes at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The Kremlin said politics, trade, economic and “current global and regional matters” will be on the agenda.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said Putin’s visit will “set the vision for strengthening the ‘special and privileged strategic partnership'” between the two countries.  

In addition to talks with a delegation led by Modi, Putin will hold a separate meeting with Indian President Droupadi Murmu. 

India has kept friendly ties with Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine and maintained a neutral stance on the conflict. 

India has purchased Russian energy supplies at steep discounts amid the invasion. The purchases have prompted backlash from US President Donald Trump, with his administration slapping tariffs on Indian goods as punishment for the Russian energy purchases. 

The Ukrainian National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) is conducting searches at the office of top Ukrainian official Andriy Yermak, who serves as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff.     

“The investigative actions are authorized and are being carried out as part of the investigation. Details to follow,” NABU said. 

Yermak confirmed the search and said he is fully cooperating with investigators. 

Yermak faces a probe by the NABU over a corruption scandal regarding the Ukrainian state nuclear power company, Energoatom. Ukrainian officials are accused of coercing Energoatom contractors into paying 10% to 15% kickbacks on contracts.   

Timur Mindich was reportedly the ringleader in the $100 million (€86 million) embezzlement scheme. Mindich is a film producer and entrepreneur who is close to Zelenskyy.

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has also been implicated in the corruption scandal. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is heading to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on crude oil and gas supplies for Hungary. Orban said he also intended to address peace efforts in Ukraine.

Orban remains Putin’s closest ally in the 27-member European Union despite the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago. Hungary is reliant on Russian energy. Despite EU efforts to cut dependence, nearly 19% of the bloc’s gas imports came from Russia in 2025.

“Energy security and affordable, low energy prices in the winter in Hungary,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “That’s why we went to Washington, and that’s why I’m going to Moscow now.”

Asked if peace efforts in Ukraine would also come up, Orban said, “We can hardly avoid that.”

Orban has previously said he wants to revive plans for a”peace summit” in Budapest between US President Donald Trump and Putin on Ukraine, which was shelved this year as fighting continued.

In contrast to most NATO and European Union leaders, Orban has kept up cordial relations with Russia while questioning the logic of Western military aid for Kyiv.

Hungary has imported 8.5 million tons of crude oil and more than 7 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia this year, its Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Thanks for joining us today as we bring you the latest news regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine.

International efforts continue attempts to reach an agreement that would end Russia’s war in Ukraine with a US delegation due for talks in Russia next week.

But before then, Viktor Orban, the prime minister of EU member Hungary, is traveling Friday to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.