Russia has included Hungary in the list of "unfriendly countries," Russian Ambassador to Budapest Evgeny Stanislavov said.
"Hungary has signed up to all of Brussels' anti-Russian sanctions packages and is forced to strictly implement them. That is why it is categorized as a country unfriendly to Russia, which may be subject to our retaliatory measures," Stanislavov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
According to him, Russian-Hungarian cooperation is increasingly under pressure from sanctions, including in the areas of economy, politics and culture.
"But we remain optimistic and even against this background, we continue to keep the channels of dialogue open," Stanislavov emphasized.
Hungary, which continues to buy Russian gas and receives Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, in January demanded that 9 Russians, including billionaires Alisher Usmanov, Pyotr Aven and Viktor Rashnikov, be removed from the sanctions list, and in February blocked a joint statement by EU countries on an arrest warrant for Russian dictator Putin.
Hungary is 80% dependent on Russian gas.
In March, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Budapest may have to reconsider its relations with Russia due to "geopolitical realities."
"I understand the need to restore Russian-European relations after the war, but this is far from reality. That is why Hungary needs to think carefully about what kind of relations we can establish and maintain with Russia in the field of foreign policy and economy in the next 10-15 years," Orban said.
Background. As a reminder, Hungary joined other members of the Bucharest Nine in condemning Russia's invasion.