Peter Magyar changes foreign policy: Hungary sees Russia as a “threat”

Break with predecessors

Hungary’s new government classifies Russia as a “threat”.

Budapest is now taking a clear stance against Moscow. Why Prime Minister Magyar is breaking with his predecessor’s policies and what that means for relations with Kiev.

The new Hungarian government, which has been in office since May, is against this Ukraine belligerents Russia for a “threat”. This emerges from a document for the United Nations General Assembly, which Prime Minister Peter Magyar signed and which appeared in the Hungarian Official Gazette on Wednesday night.

The condemnation of Russia expressed therein represents a break with the foreign policy line of the previous government under the right-wing populist Viktor Orbán. This had pursued a more pro-Moscow course, watered down or hindered EU sanctions against Russia and launched smear campaigns against Ukraine, which has been resisting a large-scale Russian war of aggression since February 2022.

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The new Hungarian document is the guidelines for the Hungarian delegation to the UN General Assembly in September. It now says: “Hungary condemns Russian military aggression and fully supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders.” Hungary recognize the right of its eastern neighbor to self-defense.

“Russia’s behavior poses a threat to Hungary, Europe and the global order,” the document continues. Budapest supports all efforts that would lead to negotiations for a “sustainable peace and long-term security guarantees” for Ukraine.

After the change of government, Magyar had already announced a departure from Orban’s foreign policy, which had also met with criticism in the EU. Among other things, his civil government made it possible for EU accession negotiations to begin in June Kyivwhich Orban had blocked with his veto for two years. In bilateral talks with Ukraine, the Magyar government settled most of the contentious issues in relations with the neighboring country, including rights for the Hungarian minority in the Ukrainian border region of Transcarpathia.

Unlike other NATO countries, Hungary under Magyar continues to reject its own arms deliveries to Ukraine. Budapest is also against accelerated admission of the country to the EU.