The Russian MFA said that staff of Hungarian diplomatic missions have been ordered to leave the territory of the Russian Federation within two weeks. This is stated in a publication by the ministry.
According to the statement, the Hungarian diplomat was informed that, as a retaliatory measure, a group of staff of Hungary's embassy in Moscow, as well as Hungary's consulates general in St. Petersburg and Kazan, must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within a two-week period.
Earlier, on September 8, Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban announced the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats. At the same time, the head of the foreign policy department claims that this step does not mean a rupture of diplomatic relations.
For her part, the chair of the State Duma committee on international affairs, Svetlana Zhurova, characterized the step as another episode of the information war. According to her, this is comparable to adding people to the Ukrainian website "Mirotvorets" database and imposing personal sanctions, and the goal of such actions is to demonstrate work to Europe.
After coming to power, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced his intention to maintain pragmatic relations with Russia. In particular, he 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 MFA has called Russia a significant power and confirmed that it still does not plan to supply weapons to Ukraine. At the same time, Defense Minister Romulus Rusin-Sendi said that Budapest's strategic interests fully coincide with the Western bloc, and that the country is "closing the door" before Moscow.