The trip to Moscow is the second since last year for Orbán, who is widely considered Putin’s closest partner among all EU leaders. Hungary is one of only a few EU countries to continue importing large quantities of Russian fossil fuels, and Orbán has strongly opposed efforts by the bloc to wean its 27 member nations off Russian energy supplies.

Countries are looking at joint offensive cyber operations and surprise military drills as Moscow steps up its campaign to destabilize NATO allies.

A senior Russian lawmaker has suggested European governments could face humiliating choices if the Kremlin emerges from the Ukraine war in a stronger position. His remarks surfaced as diplomatic attention turned to a revised US peace proposal and new disclosures about behind-the-scenes contacts.

European nations are considering cyber and military measures as suspected Russian hybrid attacks increase across the continent.

As Russia strikes Europe again, when will this hybrid war with Nato turn physical? - ANALYSIS: As Russia provokes Europe with drones, jets, and strikes on tankers, and is the prime suspect in the bombing of a Polish train,

Much of the continent’s eastern half would thus want Europe to isolate Russia yet more firmly. Many in its western half, in contrast, crave normality. With the war over, they would ask whether Europe really need spend all that money on defence.

The breakup of the alleged intelligence-gathering operation came as French President Emmanuel Macron warned about Russian destabilization efforts targeting France, a key backer of Ukraine in the nearly four-year war.

Far too many EU and NATO member statutes are simply not pulling their weight in supporting Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invaders. Indeed, as Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard warned only a day after the Commission’s announcement,

A political storm is brewing in Europe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has publicly rebuked Hungary’s Viktor Orban for travelling to Moscow without EU backing, warning that the Hungarian leader is pursuing “his own ideas” to end the Ukraine war—ideas that have failed before.

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a scathing assessment of Europe’s economic trajectory, claiming the EU has been stuck in recession for three years ever since it abandoned Russian energy. Speaking at a public forum,