The Kremlin has declared that it was “never friends” with outgoing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, as it braces for a new era of relations with Budapest following his landslide loss to a pro-EU candidate.
Mr Orban, who enjoyed warm relations with Russian president Vladimir Putin and was a persistent thorn in Ukraine’s side as it sought financial backing for its war effort from a divided Europe, was swept aside by Peter Magyar and his centre-right Tisza party.