Russia expels Hungarian diplomats as Budapest shifts away from Orbán-era Moscow ties
Russia expelled a group of Hungarian diplomats on Thursday in response to Budapest's September expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats, underscoring a foreign policy shift in Hungary since Viktor Orbán left power.
Russia's foreign ministry summoned Hungary's chargé d'affaires Gábor Gergics on Thursday and informed him that staff at the Hungarian embassy in Moscow and consulates in St Petersburg and Kazan must leave the country within two weeks.
The move follows Budapest's 8 September decision to expel 10 Russian diplomats, which Moscow called a "baseless and openly unfriendly" act. In a statement on X, Hungary's foreign ministry said it was not interested in escalating diplomatic tensions but stood by its decision, which was taken on national security grounds. It added that Hungary's missions continue to operate fully and that the country will maintain its diplomatic presence in Russia.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said at the time of the original expulsion that the Russian diplomats had engaged in activities in Hungary that are unacceptable under the Vienna Convention.
A policy shift
The mutual expulsions come amid a broader 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 for its delegation at the UN General Assembly officially labelled Russia a threat to both Hungary and the global order, condemned its ongoing full-scale war in Ukraine, and affirmed support for Ukrainian sovereignty and its right to self-defence.
Hungary is also working to improve relations with Kyiv, though Budapest continues to block the opening of new EU accession negotiation clusters with Ukraine in an effort to secure concessions on the rights of the country's Hungarian minority.
Viktor Orbán, who held power for 16 years until his Fidesz party lost this April's general election, had openly sympathised with the Kremlin and refused to join other EU states in expelling Russian diplomats after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He made several visits to Moscow after the invasion and repeatedly used Hungary's veto in the European Council to block Ukraine-related initiatives. Magyar has pledged to pursue "pragmatic" relations with Moscow during his term.
