Hungary expels 10 Russian diplomats as relations with Kremlin worsen

Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán says 10 Russian diplomats have been ordered to leave Budapest for taking part in “unacceptable” activities.

“This decision protects Hungary’s security and sovereignty,” she wrote on social media, without giving details.

Hungary was viewed as Russia’s closest ally in the European Union under Viktor Orbán for years, but since his election defeat in April the new government has pivoted away from his pro-Kremlin stance.

The Hungarian foreign minister said the decision to expel the diplomats “does not imply breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia”, but the foreign ministry spokeswoman in Moscow said “the response to the Russophobic lobby will be harsh and painful”.

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar promised “pragmatic” relations with Moscow from the moment his Tisza party was elected in April. He and the foreign minister have both called on Russia to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

In May Anita Orbán summoned the Russian ambassador to protest against a big drone attack on the Transcarpathia region of Ukraine that is home to a large Hungarian minority. Commentators have pointed out that her predecessor had not summoned the ambassador since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion in 2022.

Then last month Magyar formally broke with the previous Fidesz government’s policies, with new guidelines spelling out that Russia’s conduct in Ukraine “poses a threat to Hungary, Europe and the global order, and also puts the Hungarian minority living in Transcarpathia in serious danger”.

Russia’s Ambassador to Budapest, Evgeny Stanislavov, reacted bitterly to Anita Orbán’s intention to continue “the necessary dialogue, based on mutual respect and adherence to the rules”.