BUDAPEST, December 12. /TASS/. There are no special relations between Hungary and Russia, just like there are no special relations between these two countries’ leaders - Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin, says Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office of Hungary Gergely Gulyas, adding that both countries act in their own national interests.
According to Gulyas, Western media intend to present Budapest as Moscow’s ally.
"Since our political opponents are not interested in talking about it honestly, the European press seeks to smear Hungary, claiming that there are some special relations between Hungary and Russia, between [President] Putin and Prime Minister [Orban], while there are none," Gulyas said in the "Bold truth about Hungary" podcast, hosted by Zoltan Kovacs, Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Relations.
Gulyas underscored that Hungary’s relations with Russia can be considered special only "in a sense that Central European countries that previously belonged to the Soviet bloc, are more dependent on Russian resources" than other states. This is why Hungary fought to obtain a waiver for the EU ban on Russian oil and gas, the official noted. According to Gulyas, Hungary "was not alone in that sense," and, "although the Czechs and the Slovaks were not on the frontline of the fight" for the sanctions waivers, they were also happy to obtain them.
The Hungarian government has repeatedly noted that the Western press groundlessly accuses it of supporting Russia’s policy, even calling it "Moscow’s Trojan horse." In this regard, Orban underscored that he seeks to carry out "neither pro-Russian nor pro-Ukrainian, but a pro-Hungarian" policy.