**Hungary’s New Government Ends Pro-Russia Era with Mass Diplomat Expulsion**
Prime Minister Peter Magyar has decisively broken with Hungary’s long-standing pro-Kremlin posture by expelling 10 Russian diplomats accused of activities incompatible with their diplomatic status under the Vienna Convention—widely understood as espionage. The move, announced by Foreign Minister Anita Orban, marks one of the harshest diplomatic sanctions against Moscow by any EU or NATO member since the fall of communism. It signals a 180-degree shift from the era of Viktor Orban, whose government was widely regarded in Brussels and Washington as a security liability due to its warm ties with Vladimir Putin, tolerance of Russian intelligence operations on Hungarian soil, and repeated refusal to condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine unreservedly. Under Magyar, Hungary has already labeled Russia a national security threat and criticized its aggression, steps that align the country once again with its Western allies.
**A Legacy of Pro-Russia Policies and Security Risks**
During Viktor Orban’s rule, Hungary stood apart as the EU’s most Moscow-friendly state, earning Orban nicknames such as “Putin’s pinscher” and “Kremlin agent.” Russian spies reportedly operated with minimal hindrance for years, and in February it emerged that former Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto had passed confidential EU meeting information to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Hungary also allowed Russian intelligence-linked entities to establish a regional foothold, including the International Investment Bank—dubbed the “spy bank”—which only left Budapest after U.S. sanctions in 2023. Orban justified his stance by citing Hungary’s energy dependence, though claims of cheaper Russian gas have been disproven, and the Russian-backed expansion of the Paks nuclear plant will burden Hungary financially for decades. Experts like Andras Racz argue the expulsions should have happened years ago, and that Hungary is now “settling its old debt with its allies.”
**Magyar’s Pro-EU Turn and Moscow’s Threats**
The radical policy shift reflects Magyar’s Tisza party’s strongly pro-EU orientation, which helped propel it to election victory earlier this year amid public displays of EU flags and chants of “Russians, go home.” While many analysts are surprised by the speed and depth of the turnaround, former intelligence official Andras Telkes notes that expelling 10 diplomats amounts to “war” in intelligence terms and will help rebuild trust with NATO allies’ secret services—though it also creates serious security risks for Hungary. Moscow has condemned the expulsions, citing a “Russophobe lobby in Budapest” and promising a “hard and painful” response. Russian lawmaker Andrey Kolesnik has even suggested the Kremlin may consider halting gas supplies to Hungary, a threat Foreign Minister Anita Orban is uniquely qualified to assess, having written her doctoral thesis on Russian energy policy and authored a book on “Power, Energy, and the New Russian Imperialism.”
Ez a cikk a Neural News AI (V1) verziójával készült.
Forrás: https://www.dw.com/en/magyar-vs-moscow-hungary-toughens-stance-toward-russia/a-79223424.