Kremlin calls Hungary an "unfriendly country" after Magyar victory

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia would not congratulate Hungarian opposition Tisza party leader Péter Magyar on his election victory because Hungary is an "unfriendly" country.

As reported by Russian state media Interfax, Peskov said Russia does not "extend congratulations to unfriendly countries".

"And Hungary is an unfriendly country, it supports sanctions against us," he said. 

He was then asked whether that meant Moscow had been on friendly terms exclusively with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

"We had a dialogue with him," Peskov replied.

Before making that statement, he told journalists that Russia expects "pragmatic contacts" between Moscow and Budapest to continue under Hungary's new leadership.

Details of a conversation between Orbán and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin that took place in autumn 2025 were recently leaked.

In European capitals friendly to Ukraine, the revelations concerning the coordination between Budapest and Moscow had been described as outrageous and as posing a threat to European security.