Russian Embassy reacts to news of Latvian-Hungarian energy talks with resentful post

“We took note of the Hungarian Foreign Minister, Anita Orbán’s statement, according to which matters of ‘energy cooperation’ were also on the agenda during her most recent meeting with her Latvian counterpart,” the Russian Embassy in Budapest wrote in a rather offended-sounding post on Thursday.

Anita Orbán posted on Wednesday that she had held talks with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže—according to which they also agreed to resume consultations relating to foreign policy and security policy, which have been suspended between the two countries since 2019. Anita Orbán also announced that Hungary would participate in the defense of the Baltic airspace for the fifth time in 2028.

Her post included the following passage, which is what the Russian Embassy took issue with: “The next step, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, will be to organize a new Latvian–Hungarian business forum in Hungary and to further develop the fintech partnerships that have already been launched. In the energy sector, we see particular potential in the field of energy storage, as Latvia has gained significant experience in this area, with some Hungarian companies already involved in the development of the Baltic energy system.”

In its post, the Russian Embassy writes that the Hungarian side surely knows that Russia is also open to consultations with Budapest on all aspects of bilateral energy cooperation. And then comes the really interesting part:

“However, if the Hungarian government believes it has found a new strategic energy partner in Riga, we can only wish both countries the best of luck in this regard. We hope that, as a result of their fruitful cooperation, first-class Baltic crude oil and natural gas will flow into Hungary—seasoned with the unparalleled aroma of freedom and liberal democracy.”

The Russian Embassy’s heated response is particularly interesting in light of the events of the past few days. It was announced Tuesday morning that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had expelled 10 staff members of the Russian Embassy from Hungary. Foreign Minister Anita Orbán, however, also said that this does not mean a severing of diplomatic relations with Russia, as well as that Hungary intends to continue the necessary dialogue based on mutual respect and adherence to the rules.

In response to the news, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry promised a “harsh and painful” response. “First of all, we will do the same. But Hungary’s decision could also lead to a decrease in the number of joint economic projects with Russia,” Alexey Chepa, vice chairman of the State Duma’s Committee on International Affairs told the Russian news agency TASS. The Russian Embassy responded to the expulsion by saying that the new Hungarian government “has fallen prey to ideologically motivated, anti-Russian rhetoric, and that the Hungarian side’s statements about maintaining channels of dialogue with Russia and continuing pragmatic cooperation are worthless.”

András Rácz, the Deputy Director General of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs explained to Telex that according to the rules of diplomatic terminology, the Foreign Minister's statement implies that the ten Russian diplomats expelled from Hungary were in fact working under diplomatic cover and engaging in intelligence activities.