Following the defeat of long-time Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Sunday's elections, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Moscow wishes to maintain the existing course of cooperation with Budapest under the new leadership.
Orban's loss of power after 16 years, in favor of the center-right led by Peter Magyar and his Tisza party, represents a blow to his political allies in Russia, as well as in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
"Hungary has made its choice and we respect that choice. We look forward to continuing our very pragmatic engagement with the new Hungarian leadership. We have noted Magyar's statement about his readiness for dialogue. Naturally, this will be beneficial for both Moscow and Budapest," said Peskov.
Orban last visited Moscow in November and had previously blocked a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine after accusing Kyiv of sabotaging Russian oil deliveries to Hungary, which Ukraine denied.
Despite the war in Ukraine, Hungary has continued to purchase oil and gas from Russia, and Orban has stressed that he does not want his country drawn into the conflict. Russia is also engaged in building a new nuclear power plant in Hungary, further linking the two countries in the energy sector.