Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted the Alternative for Germany’s lead election candidate in Budapest, a further sign the firewall erected around the far-right party in Berlin is under strain ahead of this month’s snap national ballot.

It is the first time the Hungarian prime minister is hosting a politician from the far-right German party. The two share an anti-immigration stance and a desire to rebuild Europe's relations with Russia.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban met the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party in Budapest on Wednesday. Despite their ideological closeness, Orban has hitherto been careful to keep his distance from the AfD,

Hungary’s nationalist prime minister on Wednesday hosted a German far-right party’s candidate for chancellor in Germany’s upcoming elections, a rare gesture from a sitting European leader to a party which Germany’s mainstream politicians are trying hard to contain.