Russia announced yesterday that it would expel an unspecified number of Hungarian diplomats, in a tit-for-tat response to Budapest’s decision last month to send home ten Russian diplomats. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, staff members from the Hungarian embassy in Moscow and from the consulates general in St Petersburg and Kazan must leave the country within two weeks.
Hungary had justified its move by accusing the Russians of behaving in ways incompatible with their diplomatic status, wording often used as a euphemism for espionage. For its part, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry acknowledged Moscow’s decision, stressing that Budapest has no interest in an escalation of diplomatic tensions.
The episode illustrates a profound shift in Hungarian foreign policy. Viktor Orbán, who lost power in April after sixteen years in office, had maintained close ties with Vladimir Putin and kept buying Russian oil and gas despite European Union sanctions following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. His successor, Péter Magyar, leads a centre-right government that has repeatedly stated that Hungary’s main alliances are the European Union and NATO, and that it aims to rebuild the trust eroded under his predecessor.
The expulsions are widely read as a clear signal that Hungary’s pro-Russian era has ended.
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