AfD faction in Bundestag praises Orbán's 'peace' efforts with Putin

The far-right Alternative for Germany's parliamentary group has welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's controversial trip to Moscow as a "peace initiative."

"Hungary is leading the way and speaking with both direct parties to the conflict on the first day of its EU Council Presidency. This has been a core demand of the AfD parliamentary group since the beginning of the war," said Matthias Moosdorf, the Bundestag faction's foreign policy spokesman.

Orbán is the only European leader who still has open channels of dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said.

"The AfD parliamentary group welcomes the fact that the possibility of an early ceasefire with the aim of peace talks is now being prioritized at the highest European level. In doing so, Orbán is above all exposing the EU and its personnel as warmongers who are not acting in the European interest," said Moosdorf.

Orbán's uncoordinated meeting with Putin in Moscow on Friday caused outrage within the EU, as well as in Kiev and Washington.

Several EU officials stressed that Orbán had no official EU mandate for negotiations with Russia, and that it had nothing to do with Hungary assuming the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union.

The right-wing populist leader, often a thorn in the side of Brussels over a range of issues, is seen as closest to Moscow among European Union leaders.

During a joint appearance with Putin after the talks, Orbán called for efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Ukraine war.