Russia expels several Hungarian diplomats, gives them two weeks to leave

Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that Russia will expel an unspecified number of Hungarian diplomats. The decision came after Budapest expelled 10 Russian diplomats last month.

“As a reciprocal measure, a group of staff members from the Hungarian Embassy in Moscow and the Hungarian Consulates General in St. Petersburg and Kazan must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within two weeks,” the ministry said.

Hungary’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had accepted Russia’s decision, adding: “Hungary is not interested in an escalation of diplomatic tension.”

Hungary had accused the Russian diplomats it expelled of acting in ways incompatible with their status — wording often used as code for espionage. The move was a clear signal that the pro-Russian era of former prime minister Viktor Orbán is over.

Orbán, who lost power in April after 16 years in office, had maintained close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin even after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, continuing to buy Russian oil and gas despite European Union sanctions.

New Prime Minister Péter Magyar and his center-right government have repeatedly said that Hungary’s main alliances are the European Union and NATO, and that the government aims to rebuild the trust damaged under Orbán’s rule.