Hungary expels ten Russian diplomats

Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Anita Orbán, has announced that ten Russian diplomats have been ordered to leave the country for having taken part in “unacceptable” activities. Orbán, who is not related to former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán but merely shares a surname that is very common in Hungary, also emphasised that this does not constitute a diplomatic break with Moscow; however, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, has stated that “the response to the Russophobic lobby will be harsh and painful”. While it may not constitute a full diplomatic rupture, it does mark a clear break with the past—with the years when Viktor Orbán had decided to give the Russians the opportunity to use Budapest as a base in Europe and his government as a Trojan horse in European forums, and to act as a brake on member states’ decisions in support of Kyiv.

The new Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, who won the elections in April, had announced a shift in relations with Moscow and also with Ukraine, demonstrating that Hungary could cease to be an enemy of Kyiv and become a partner – not overly enthusiastic, but reliable. Budapest served as a platform for Russia; prior to the April vote, the Russian website Agenstvo had reported that 15 of the 47 members of staff at the Russian embassy in the Hungarian capital were linked to the secret services, and according to the former head of Hungarian intelligence, András Telkes, Fidesz – the party of former Prime Minister Orbán – had blocked investigations and measures regarding Russian espionage. One of Orbán’s key campaign promises has always been the protection of the nation, when in reality the former prime minister has done nothing but turn Hungary into a country enslaved by the Russians and the Chinese. This is a typical attitude of nationalists in every country who preach the protection of sovereignty from Brussels and then sell themselves out to enemy nations.