"As a reciprocal measure, a group of staff members from the Hungarian Embassy in Moscow and the Hungarian Consulates General in St. Petersburg and Kazan must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within two weeks," the ministry said, according to a report by the Reuters news agency.
Hungary's foreign ministry said in a statement that it had taken note of Russia's decision, adding that Hungary "is not interested in an escalation of diplomatic tension," Reuters reported.
Hungary had accused the Russian diplomats it expelled of acting in ways incompatible with their status, wording often used to refer to suspected espionage, Reuters said.
It described the move as a signal that the era of close ties with Russia under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban was over.
Orban lost power in April after 16 years in office. He had maintained close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin even after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and continued buying Russian oil and gas despite European Union sanctions, Reuters reported.
Hungary's new Prime Minister Peter Magyar and his centre-right government have repeatedly said that the country's main alliances are with the European Union and NATO and that Budapest aims to rebuild trust eroded during Orban's rule.
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Source: Reuters