Hungarian formin plays transport scandal card in response to Estonian PM's statement

Kaja Kallas and Viktor Orban. Photo: OLIVIER HOSLET / EPA / Scanpix

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas' statement that she was deeply disappointed by the meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin received a response from Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who made a statement on Facebook, pointing to Kallas' own eastbound transport scandal.

«I say with great respect that this is Kaja Kallas, regarding whose husband it was recently revealed that even after the outbreak of the (Ukrainian-Russian) war, he still owned shares in a company that, despite combat operations, supplied raw materials to a Russian factory for 30 million euros. Hypocrisy cubed,» he said.

Kallas described the meeting between Putin and Orban as «very, very unpleasant».

«How can you shake a criminal’s hand, who has waged the war of aggression, especially coming from a country that has a history like Hungary has?» Kallas said according to The Guardian. «It is not so distant past what happened in Hungary, what the Russians did there.»

The Hungarian prime minister met with Putin in Beijing on Tuesday. Russia's official news channel TASS reported on Tuesday that EU leaders are likely to have a heart attack after viewing photos and video footage of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban meeting in Beijing.

NEXTA shared a video in which Putin explains that during the meeting between the two heads of state, they talked about maintaining contacts and cooperation, which is difficult in the current circumstances, but still possible with some countries. At the same time, EU sanctions apply to Russia and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin.