BUDAPEST, July 21. /TASS/. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has hailed the free-style wrestling match between the Russian and US teams in Budapest and expressed hope that it will help improve relations between the two countries.

Monday’s match in Budapest ended in Russia’s 6-4 win.

The top Hungarian diplomat recalled that the "ping-pong diplomacy" once helped the United States and China restore relations after a US ping pong team visited Beijing in the early 1970s. "Let us hope that this time the wrestling diplomacy will be likewise successful. The wrestling match between the Russian and American teams in Budapest. Sport in the name of peace!" he wrote on his Facebook page (Facebook is banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist).

Wrestling matches between the Russian and US teams have not been held since 2017. Today’s event was held under auspices of the Professional Wrestling League (PWL). Russian athletes competed under their country’s flag. Further matches are expected to be held in Russia and the United States.