( CNN) When Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Budapest on Wednesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had a gift already wrap: Hours before their joint press conference, Hungary vetoed a joint declaration of NATO diplomats on Ukraine.

“The expression ‘veto' is very harsh, ” said Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs. “Let's say instead that we recommend further consideration. The debate was about the situation in Ukraine, where the ethnic Hungarian minority suffers legal discrimination.”

A strident nationalist, Orban has often complained about the status of the Hungarian minority in western Ukraine. He has also cultivated a close relationship with Putin, and his government has frequently obstructed Ukraine's overtures to the West, much to the Russian leader's satisfaction.