The Kremlin has declared that it was “never friends” with outgoing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, as it braces for a new era of relations with Budapest following his landslide loss to a pro-EU candidate.
Orban, who enjoyed warm relations with Russian president Vladimir Putin and was a persistent thorn in Ukraine’s side as it sought financial backing for its war effort from a divided Europe, was swept aside by Peter Magyar of the centre-right Tisza party.
What the future holds for the Russia-Hungarian relationship is unclear, but in light of Orban’s collapse in public support, Moscow now appears to be distancing itself and playing down the loss of its most influential ally in the European Union.
“We were never friends with Orbán,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to The Guardian. Hungary’s official designation is as an “unfriendly country”, he added, explaining that Russia therefore did not congratulate Magyar on his election win.
The remarks came despite several meetings between Putin and the hardline former Hungarian prime minister throughout the war. During his tenure, Orban allowed Russia to start work on building a new nuclear power plant south of Budapest, and often spoke out against sanctions on Russia while flatly opposing Kyiv’s bid to join the 27-nation European Union.
Orban was key to blocking a £78bn EU loan to Ukraine, after accusing it of sabotaging Russian oil deliveries to his country by dragging its feet over the repair of the Druzhba oil pipeline, something Kyiv denied.
As for the incoming government, the Kremlin has thus far been cautious in its approach, issuing a statement indicating that Moscow will look to retain good relations with the new Hungarian government.
Moscow is looking forward to “continuing our highly pragmatic engagement with Hungary’s new leadership”, Peskov said.
“We noted Magyar’s statement regarding his willingness to engage in dialogue. Naturally, this will be beneficial for both Moscow and Budapest,” he said, adding that Russia was not sure what the stance of the new leadership would be.
“In this instance, there is mutual willingness on our part, and we will then proceed to take our cue from the specific steps taken by the new Hungarian government.”
Mr Magyar, for his part, said he would not immediately call Putin after his win. But during the campaign he publicly recognised that he would need to hold talks with the Russian president and that Budapest would need to continue buying Russian oil and gas, at least for the time being.
Addressing a media briefing a day after his landslide election victory, Mr Magyar said he hoped Moscow would be forced to end the war soon and affirmed that Ukraine is the clear victim in the conflict.
