Relationship time: Hungary wants to recreate a friendship group with Russia

Hungary plans to discuss the creation of a parliamentary friendship group with Russia, the country's legislature told Izvestia. The parliament will consider this issue after the elections in the spring of 2026. The Slovak Parliament also expresses its willingness to cooperate with Russian colleagues, although it has not yet been possible to create such a group. Experts note that the resumption of a full-fledged interparliamentary dialogue would make it possible to discuss issues, including the protection of the rights of linguistic minorities in Ukraine and economic cooperation against the background of EU sanctions.

Friendship Groups of Hungary and Russia

The Hungarian parliament is confident that after the elections to be held in April 2026, it is necessary to create a new friendship group with the Russian Federation. According to the leader of the Nasha Rodina party, Laszlo Torockai, the fact that she is still missing is "completely inexplicable and unacceptable."

—Hungarian and Russian politicians should strive to establish personal, good relations with each other, encouraging dialogue, as we do with other European friends," he told Izvestia. — I am categorically against the policy of Brussels based on Russophobia, as it exerts aggressive pressure on EU politicians, banning them from entering Russia.

Hungary is one of the few EU and NATO countries that maintain a high—level dialogue with Russia. On November 28, Prime Minister Viktor Orban returned to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin. This level of relations preserves the prerequisites for the full restoration of inter-parliamentary ties. The last friendship group, which included 16 deputies, operated in 2018-2022. It was headed by the current Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly, Sandor Lezhak, who, in particular, advocates the preservation of cultural ties between Moscow and Budapest.

In 2019, Speaker of Parliament Laszlo Kever met with Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin. At that time, Hungarian parliamentarians appealed to their colleagues from the Russian Federation to join forces to protect the rights of linguistic national minorities in Ukraine (Budapest criticizes Kiev for discriminating against the rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians). The speakers of the legislative bodies also touched upon the topic of EU sanctions. Kever even noted that Hungary is a hostage of the European sanctions policy and Budapest is interested in the Russian market.

Intra-Union agreement: Slovakia will support the idea of an anti-Ukrainian bloc with Hungary and the Czech Republic

Budapest hopes for the support of eurosceptics in their attempts to resist the policies of Brussels

Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Presidium of the Presidential Council on Interethnic Relations, believes that Russia and Hungary may return to discussing these topics at the parliamentary level.

"The areas of cooperation for parliamentary delegations are very wide: from the exchange of parliamentary experience of their countries to the discussion of specific problems," he told Izvestia. — In addition, Moscow and Budapest have their own unique experience of interacting with large communities. Russia has the EAEU and the CSTO, where there is also an interparliamentary assembly. Hungary has the European Union and NATO. In general, inter-parliamentary dialogue is very useful for building ties between countries.

At the same time, the analyst stressed that building inter-parliamentary ties could make it possible to maintain contacts between the elites of the Russian Federation and Hungary even in the event of Viktor Orban's departure.

— Orban is a politician who vividly defends Hungary's national interests, and in this case they coincide with Russia's interests. If a more liberal leader comes to power, it will not be very convenient for him to interrupt the inter-parliamentary contacts that have already taken place. Besides, it will be a kind of political capital and legacy," Bohdan Bezpalko noted.

According to him, it is important to build parliamentary ties with Slovakia, with which Moscow could discuss the development of inter-Slavic dialogue.

Interparliamentary dialogue with Slovakia

Slovakia is another EU country and a NATO member with which Russia is successfully building an intergovernmental dialogue. Over the past year, Prime Minister Robert Fico has visited Moscow twice - in December and in May for Victory Day. At the same time, there is no friendship group with the Russian Federation in the country's parliament, as in Hungary.

— Such a group has not been created. Given the current political situation, our friendship groups are formed exclusively within the framework of the European Union. Nevertheless, we remain interested in constructive cooperation and maintaining friendly relations," Deputy Speaker of Parliament Tibor Gaspar told Izvestia.

At the same time, the request for the formation of a friendship group with Russia in Slovakia is even greater than in Hungary. Earlier, the deputy speaker of Parliament, the leader of the Slovak National Party, Andrei Danko, announced plans to vote for the creation of such a group. In January of this year, he led a delegation of Slovak deputies who arrived in Moscow for talks with Federation Council Chairman Valentina Matvienko and State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.

United and transparent: Hungary and Slovakia want to be deprived of the right of veto on the issue of sanctions

But this is impossible without changing the basic laws of the EU, the European Parliament says.

Bratislava and Budapest support the strengthening of dialogue with Moscow. However, Hungary and Slovakia do not represent a monolith: everything depends on who is currently in power there, including the issue of restoring friendship groups, political analyst Vadim Trukhachev noted in a conversation with Izvestia.

— Before Fico returned to the Prime Minister's chair (in 2023. —Izvestia), in the Slovak case, this was out of the question. In the Hungarian case, the prospects are completely tied to Orban's personality. If he retains power, these groups will be. If another government comes, relations with Hungary will inevitably deteriorate," he told Izvestia.

Both Hungary and Slovakia have deputies who are committed to such cooperation, and each has outright Russophobes, the expert noted.

— In the case of European countries, one should always be prepared for a political pendulum and a change of government in the opposite way to Russia. No long—term plans can be made with any European country, except perhaps Serbia," he said.

According to him, after the parliamentary elections, which were won by Andrei Babish, an opponent of military aid to Ukraine, the Czech Republic has now dropped out of the "Russophobic vanguard," although it was there a year ago. The process of forming a new government is currently underway in the Czech Republic. According to Vadim Trukhachev, the same thing is happening in other European countries. For example, the Alternative for Germany party is now very popular in Germany. Given the declining rating of the current ruling coalition and Chancellor Friedrich Merz personally, the collapse of the government and even new early elections are not excluded.