Kremlin downplays Orbán loss after Russia loses key EU ally
Viktor Orbán lost the election by a wide margin to Péter Magyar’s Tisza party. (Photo: REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo)
The Kremlin is playing down Viktor Orbán’s election defeat
after Russia lost one of its most important allies in Europe, the Institute for
the Study of War said in its April 13 report.
ISW said Russian officials and pro-war commentators tried to
soften the blow after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat and
Péter Magyar’s Tisza party won a decisive victory, securing more than
two-thirds of the seats in parliament.
The think tank pointed to comments by Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Lavrov said Moscow
was ready to build relations with Hungary’s new government “depending on how
this government understands its national interests.” Peskov said the Kremlin
would not congratulate Magyar because Hungary is an “unfriendly country” that
supports sanctions against Russia. He also said relations between Russia and
the European Union could not get worse after the Hungarian election because
they were already at rock bottom.
ISW said prominent Russian military bloggers offered mixed
reactions. Some tried to downplay Orbán’s defeat and his ties to Moscow. Others
voiced concern that the Kremlin had lost its main ally inside the EU — one that
had blocked decisions unfavorable to Russia.
Orbán had consistently opposed EU efforts to provide
military and financial aid to Ukraine and had worked to undermine those efforts
in ways that served Kremlin interests, ISW said. Russian dictator Vladimir
Putin also openly backed Orbán in Hungary’s parliamentary election.
ISW said Moscow is likely downplaying Orbán’s defeat and the
loss of a key ally in Europe to show that Ukraine will still face pressure to
accept Russia’s terms for ending the war.
Hungary held parliamentary elections on April 12. With
98.93% of the vote counted, Tisza was leading. Magyar’s party was set to win
136 seats with 52.44% of the vote, while Fidesz was on track for 56 seats with
39.15%. The far-right Mi Hazánk, or Our Homeland, was set to win six seats with
5.77%.
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