'Never friends': Kremlin tries to deflect loss of ally Orban

The Kremlin said yesterday it was pleased that Péter Magyar, Hungary’s prime minister-elect, appeared open to “pragmatic dialogue” as Moscow adopted a wait-and-see approach after the election loss of its closest partner in Europe, Viktor Orban.

- Pjotr Sauer

“For now we can note with satisfaction, as far as we understand, his [Magyar’s] willingness to engage in pragmatic dialogue,” said the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. “In this instance there is mutual willingness on our part, and we will then proceed to take our cue from the specific steps taken by the new Hungarian government.”

Moscow, a day earlier, did not congratulate Magyar on his election victory. Instead, Peskov made clear that Hungary no longer enjoyed any special status and now fell into the category of “unfriendly countries” alongside the rest of Europe.

But the scale of Orban’s defeat has left Moscow with little choice but to acknowledge the loss of a key partner in Europe. “Hungary made its choice. We respect that choice,” Peskov said.

Moscow appears to be playing down the loss of a key ally, striking a tone reminiscent of its messaging after the fall of Basharal-Assad. Then, the Kremlin moved quickly to distance itself from Assad as it sought to preserve whatever leverage it could with Syria’s new leadership.

“We were never friends with Orban,” said Peskov, adding that Moscow remained open to dialogue and to building good, mutually beneficial relations with Budapest.

Magyar signalled in his first statements that a dramatic rupture with Russia should not be expected. He suggested Hungary would maintain a pragmatic foreign policy - continuing to buy Russian oil and remaining cautious on Ukraine - even as he seeks to rebalance relations with the west.