The EU’s growth rate is slow and “it cannot allow itself the luxury of not cooperating with everyone that could boost its economy,” Orbán added.

“It is not possible to automatically extend the sanctions against Russia”, he said. Putin told their joint press conference that bilateral ties could be boosted in cultural, humanitarian, and educational areas.

He said Russia would extend 120 scholarships to Hungarian students at Russian universities and regional cooperation would also be encouraged and supported by an intergovernmental committee.

Regarding Europe’s migrant crisis Orbán reiterated Hungary’s commitment to observing Schengen rules and opposing the EU’s refugee quota scheme, as Hungarians should be allowed to decide “who they wanted to live with”.

Putin said the key to resolving the crisis was to end terrorism and to stabilise crisis-ridden territories in the Middle East and North Africa.

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MTI photo: Koszticsák Szilárd