Moscow will give a timely response to the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Hungary, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
"One hundred percent, a response will be given. I cannot say right now what specific parameter it will concern, because this is a matter of our interagency decision," she was quoted as saying at a briefing.
Zakharova had earlier warned that the reaction would be tough and painful.
Last week, Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban announced the expulsion of ten staff members of the Russian diplomatic mission. According to her, they were allegedly engaged in activity unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention. At the same time, she said, this does not mean a rupture in diplomatic relations.
After the change of government, Budapest announced its intention to maintain pragmatic relations with Russia. In particular, new Prime Minister Peter Magyar noted cooperation on energy supplies as important for the republic. Nevertheless, his pro-European course differs from the policy of Viktor Orban, who actively opposed anti-Russian sanctions and supported close economic ties with Moscow.
Hungary's Foreign Ministry has called Russia a significant power and confirmed that it still does not plan to supply weapons to Ukraine. At the same time, the country's Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said that its strategic interests fully coincide with the Western bloc, and that the country is "closing the door" before Moscow.