I do not share Orban's best wishes to Putin - Meloni

(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 22 - Premier Giorgia Meloni said on Friday she does not share the position of Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban after he congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his landslide re-election on Monday. "I do not share that letter and those good wishes, he knows my position," Meloni told reporters after the European Summit in Brussels, referring to a letter sent by Orban to Putin on Thursday.
    In the letter the Hungarian premier said that "cooperation between Hungary and Russia, based on mutual respect, allows for important discussions even in difficult geopolitical contexts" and "affirmed Hungary's commitment to peace and its readiness to strengthen cooperation in areas not limited by international law", said government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs.
    The Russian presidential election, in which Putin faced no viable opposition, was widely seen as being neither free nor fair.
    Putin won with over 88% of the vote. (ANSA).