Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on May 23, in a display of solidarity between two of Europe’s most defiant political figures.

The visit, part of a broader working mission by a Hungarian delegation, underscores a deepening strategic alignment between Hungary and Serbia, at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty in the Western Balkans.

The pair, known for their illiberal governance styles and independent foreign policies, held what Vucic described as “a full day of consultations” covering geopolitics, defence, economic cooperation and bilateral strategic coordination.

"Today we are conducting a strategic dialogue on the most important issues for our two countries," Vucic wrote on social media, hailing what he called the "best relations in Serbian-Hungarian history."

The meeting comes amid growing friction within the European Union over Hungary’s adversarial stance toward Brussels. Orban has long positioned himself as a contrarian within the bloc, while simultaneously championing Serbia’s bid for EU membership. Hungary remains one of Belgrade’s most vocal advocates in Brussels, most recently supporting Serbia’s calls for the United States to delay sanctions on the majority-Russian-owned oil company NIS, citing concerns over energy security in the region.

Orban and Vucic have repeatedly demonstrated their mutual political affinity, maintaining close ties with Moscow and Beijing even as much of Europe seeks to recalibrate its dependencies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both men have rejected the mainstream EU consensus on several key issues, fostering a shared image as “sovereignist” leaders charting independent foreign policy paths.

Their alignment was starkly illustrated last year when Hungary stood alone among EU member states in voting against a United Nations General Assembly resolution on the 1995 Srebrenica genocide – siding with Serbia and the Bosnian Serb leadership in a move that drew condemnation from Western capitals.

The Belgrade talks follow an April announcement by Vucic of plans to build a full-fledged military alliance between the two countries. This followed the signing of a strategic defence partnership and came in response to a trilateral pact between Albania, Croatia and Kosovo – an agreement Serbia sharply criticised as destabilising. Vucic warned at the time that the pact could trigger an arms race in the Balkans.

The Hungarian leader, for his part, has maintained that Serbia’s accession to the EU remains critical for regional stability and has repeatedly called for an accelerated path for Belgrade’s membership. Orban’s strong advocacy has been reciprocated by Vucic, who described his counterpart on Friday as "a great friend" and a key partner in Serbia’s European ambitions.

As the EU's influence in the Western Balkans is tested by growing geopolitical competition from Russia and China, the Orban-Vucic axis is emerging as a significant counterweight to pro-Western currents in the region – one that could test the EU’s unity and undermine its influence in its immediate neighbourhood.