Russia expels Hungarian diplomats following Budapest's previous move

Russia expelled a group of Hungarian diplomats on Thursday after Hungary ordered 10 Russian diplomats out last month, marking a sharp break from the era of former Premier Viktor Orbán, who maintained closer ties with Moscow than any other EU leader.

Hungary's chargé d'affaires Gábor Gergics was summoned to Russia's foreign ministry and informed that staff from the Hungarian embassy in Moscow and consulates in St Petersburg and Kazan had been ordered to leave within two weeks.

Moscow described Hungary's original 8 September expulsion as a "baseless and openly unfriendly" act.

Budapest acknowledged Moscow's decision but said it stood by its position.

"Hungary is not interested in an escalation of diplomatic tensions. But we stand by our decision, taken on national security grounds. Our missions continue to operate in full, and Hungary will maintain its diplomatic presence in Russia," the Hungarian foreign ministry wrote on X.

Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said at the time of the initial expulsion that the Russian diplomats "had been engaged in activities in Hungary that are unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention."

The mutual expulsions follow a shift in Hungarian foreign policy since Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office earlier this year.

At the end of August, the new government's guidance to its delegation at the UN General Assembly officially described Russia as a threat to Hungary and to the "global order," condemned its ongoing all-out war in Ukraine and affirmed support for Ukrainian sovereignty and its right to self-defence.

Hungary is also seeking to improve relations with Kyiv, although Budapest is blocking the opening of new EU accession negotiation clusters with Ukraine to secure concessions on the rights of the country's Hungarian minority.

Orbán, who was in power for 16 years until his party Fidesz' loss in general elections this April, openly sympathised with the Kremlin and refused to join other EU member states in expelling Russian diplomats after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

He made multiple visits to Moscow after the invasion and repeatedly used Hungary's veto in the European Council to block Ukraine-related initiatives.

Magyar has promised "pragmatic" relations with Moscow during his tenure.