The key facts
- Russian Ambassador to Hungary Yevgeny Stanislavov said that Moscow hopes Budapest will not repeat the expulsion of diplomats
- The conflict began on September 8 with the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats; on October 1 Russia responded symmetrically
- Hungarian diplomats left Russia on October 14; the Hungarian Foreign Ministry said it was not interested in escalation
Moscow hopes there will be no new expulsions
Russia expects that Hungary will not expel Russian diplomats again and complicate bilateral relations. In an interview with RIA Novosti, said Russian Ambassador to Hungary Yevgeny Stanislavov. According to him, Moscow hopes that Budapest has taken into account the retaliatory measures after the diplomatic conflict, and expects appropriate actions from Hungary's new leadership. The ambassador called the decisions to expel diplomats provocative.
Budapest's reaction and the timeline of the conflict
As Stanislavov noted, the Hungarian authorities have already responded to Moscow's decision: the Hungarian Foreign Ministry 'took note' of Russia's retaliatory steps and stated that Budapest is not interested in escalating diplomatic tensions. Earlier, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry also confirmed that it is not interested in further deterioration of relations with Russia, and declared its intention to maintain a diplomatic presence in the Russian Federation, while emphasizing that it is not abandoning its previous position on national security issues.
How the conflict unfolded
The diplomatic conflict began on September 8, when Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán announced the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats. Budapest claimed that staff of the Russian mission had engaged in activities incompatible with their diplomatic status, but the minister clarified that the decision did not mean a break in relations with Moscow. In response, on October 1, the Russian Foreign Ministry ordered the expulsion of a group of Hungarian diplomatswho had worked at the embassy in Moscow and at the consulates general in Saint Petersburg and Kazan. Later, Stanislavov specified that the Hungarian diplomats left the territory of the Russian Federation on October 14.
What is known and what remains unclear
Thus, both sides have formally completed the exchange of expulsions: Russian diplomats left Hungary after the September 8 decision, and Hungarian ones left on October 14. The position of Hungary's new leadership is mentioned in the publications only on the authority of the Russian ambassador, who expressed hope for 'appropriate actions'; sources do not cite any concrete steps or statements by Budapest about its future policy toward Russian diplomats.
