Hungary's Orbán congratulates Putin on election victory
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron (R) talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during the EU summit in Brussels. Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga/dpa

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election. Orban's spokesman Bertalan Havasi released the message on Thursday, the Hungarian state news agency MTI reported.

Orbán wrote that it was gratifying that "the cooperation between Hungary and Russia is based on mutual respect, which makes it possible to discuss important issues in the current difficult geopolitical situation."

Referring to Russia's war against Ukraine, Orbán wrote that Hungary is "on the side of peace."