Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated Monday that it is time to engage in dialogue with the elected leaders of the Western Balkans, rather than talking about them from a distance.

Orban met with Milorad Dodik, the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity, in Budapest. Following their meeting, he expressed support for Dodik in a post on the social media platform X.

“The new winds of international politics give us hope that the political attacks against President Dodik can finally come to a halt. Hungary’s position has always been the same: we need stability on the Balkans. This is precisely what President Dodik brought to the table in the past years: a stable and prosperous Republika Srpska. There’s no need to punish him for it. It is time to have discussions with the elected leaders of the Western Balkans and not about them!” Orban wrote.

Dodik also took to X, calling Hungary a reliable partner and praising Orban as a leader with vision.

“He was among the first to prevent the entry of migrants, and now both Europe and the US face that issue, even though no one wants to admit he was right. Moreover, it was interesting to hear about his relationship with the new US President Donald Trump. During our meeting, we exchanged insights and concluded that the views on the relations between Republika Srpska and Hungary are almost entirely aligned,” Dodik stated.