BUDAPEST, Sept. 8 — Russia’s ambassador to Hungary on Tuesday criticized Budapest’s decision to expel 10 Russian diplomats, calling the move an “unprecedented and unjustified escalation” and saying Moscow would respond.
Russian Ambassador to Hungary Evgeny Stanislavov said Budapest’s statements about keeping channels of dialogue open and continuing pragmatic cooperation were “worth absolutely nothing” following the decision.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry also said it would retaliate, with spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying Moscow’s response would be “harsh and painful.”
Earlier Tuesday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban announced that 10 members of the Russian diplomatic mission had been asked to leave the country after authorities concluded that they had engaged in activities deemed unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention.
Orban said the decision aimed to protect Hungary’s security and sovereignty but did not sever diplomatic relations, adding that Budapest intended to maintain necessary dialogue with Moscow.
The move marked Hungary’s first publicly announced expulsion of Russian diplomats since 2018. In March that year, Hungary expelled one Russian diplomat as part of a coordinated response by Western countries following the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain.
Russia responded to the 2018 move by expelling one member of Hungary’s embassy staff in Moscow. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
