No, U.K. PM Keir Starmer wasn't snubbed by Hungarian PM at EPC summit in Hungary

What’s the claim?

A video from the Fifth European Political Community Summit (EPC), held on November 7 in Hungary, is circulating online with a claim that U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was deliberately humiliated, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán appeared to overlook him upon his arrival. 

The footage shows Orbán welcoming various prominent leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and French President Emmanuel Macron. The clip later shows Starmer arriving without receiving a greeting from Orbán. 

A user on Instagram sharing the clip wrote, “Viktor Orban greets literally everyone apart from Kier Stalin. Epic.” The post had over 700 likes at the time of writing this story. An archived version of the clip can be found here. The video is also shared on Facebook, with users claiming that the Hungarian prime minister refused to greet Starmer. Archived versions of such posts can be found here and here.

In addition, an X (formerly Twitter) user posted the video with the same claim, which has amassed over 1 million views and received 10,000 likes. Archived versions of such posts can be found here and here.

Screenshot of claims made online. (Source: Instagram/YouTube/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the viral video is a selectively edited snippet. Although the Hungarian prime minister did not greet Starmer upon his arrival, as Starmer arrived late, Orbán did greet him later.

What we found

Upon a closer look at the viral clip, Logically Facts discovered an ITV Politics logo embedded in the footage. Further research led to the original video by ITV News (archived here), which was uploaded on its YouTube channel on November 7, 2024. The video’s title read: “No handshake from Orbán in Hungary after Starmer arrives too late for a greeting.” This reveals that the initial context of the clip was clear — the Hungarian prime minister did not greet Starmer at his arrival because Starmer arrived late to the summit, not due to a deliberate snub.

Furthermore, we discovered a longer version of the video uploaded by Sky News (archived here) on its YouTube channel. This extended footage offers additional clarity, revealing that at the 1:37:00 mark, Starmer can be seen arriving late to the summit after other leaders had already arrived and entered the venue for the meeting. We also noted that Orbán entered the venue after greeting the French President, which can be seen at 49:27 seconds into the video.

Did Orbán greet every leader on arrival?

In a longer clip of the summit shared by Sky News, it was observed at the 1:34:35 mark that both Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela and Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda, who arrived before Starmer, were also not greeted by Orbán. This suggests that the lack of a greeting has been related to the timing of arrivals rather than a targeted snub towards Starmer.

However, Orbán was later seen posing for a photo and shaking his hands with Starmer. Sky News shared this image on November 7, 2024, with the title, “Starmer meets Hungary’s PM.” 

A screenshot showing an image of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán meeting U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the summit. (Source: Sky News)

Additionally, Reuters shared a photo of the Hungarian PM in conversation with Starmer and shaking hands during the summit.

Screenshot of Reuters image showing Viktor Orban and Keir Starmer alongside Maccaron at the summit. (Source: Reuters)

The summit video posted by the Hungarian prime minister on his official Facebook page (archived here) features his interaction with Starmer, which can be seen at the 0:41 mark of the clip. This suggests that the video circulating on social media has stripped away this critical context, making it appear that Orbán intentionally ignored Starmer.

The verdict

The viral clip suggesting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán snubbed British Prime Minister Kier Starmer is misleading. Starmer and other leaders, such as Abela and Nausėda, who arrived late, were not greeted upon arrival. However, Orbán and Starmer were later seen posing for photos and shaking hands.