A day after the victory against Viktor Orbán, Péter Magyar spoke to 10 leaders from Europe. He clarified that he has no intention of calling Vladimir Putin, but will answer a possible call from him, according to the BBC.
“If Vladimir Putin calls, I will answer the phone,” he told reporters during a press conference Sunday to mark the electoral success of his Tisza party.
“I don't think it will happen,” he emphasized, “but if we were to talk, I would tell him to stop, please, after four years, the killings and end this war.”
“Hungary has made a choice. We respect this choice. We intend to continue our pragmatic contacts with the new Hungarian authorities,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the daily news conference.
Moscow's reaction after Orban's defeat
The Kremlin said on Monday it respected the Hungarian vote after Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close Russian ally, was defeated at the polls by his rival.
“Hungary has made a choice. We respect this choice. We intend to continue our pragmatic contacts with the new Hungarian authorities,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the press conference.
Orbán has also been a key ally of US President Donald Trump, who backed him to win Sunday's election.
Magyar told reporters that he would not call Trump either, but if Trump did, he would tell him he was glad they were “strong allies in NATO” and invite him to attend the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising against Soviet occupation next October.
In a first reaction to Orban's defeat, the White House reacted through the voice of American Vice President JD Vance. “I'm saddened that he lost, but I'm sure we'll work very well with the next Hungarian prime minister,” JD Vance told Fox News.
