Hungary Summons Russian Ambassador     05/14 06:07

   

   BUDAPEST (AP) -- Russia's ambassador to Hungary was summoned Thursday over a 
massive drone attack near Hungary's border with Ukraine, in a stark example of 
the change brought about by the election of Prime Minister Pter Magyar after 
years of cozy relations between Budapest and Moscow under his predecessor, 
Viktor Orbn.

   An Associated Press reporter saw Ambassador Evgeny Stanislavov leaving the 
Hungarian Foreign Ministry less than 30 minutes after arriving for an official 
summons to speak with Foreign Minister Anita Orbn about strikes that hit the 
Ukrainian region of Transcarpathia on Wednesday. The region is home to a 
sizable Hungarian minority.

   "The Hungarian government strongly condemns the Russian attack on 
Transcarpathia," Magyar said Wednesday during a news conference in 0pusztaszer 
in southern Hungary, when he announced that the ambassador would be summoned to 
protest the attack.

   "She will tell him the same and ask for information on when Russia and 
Vladimir Putin plan to finally end this bloody war that began more than four 
years ago," Magyar said.

   The Russian government has not made any public statements on the summons.

   When the ambassador left the Foreign Ministry building on the banks of the 
Danube, an activist yelled at him in Hungarian, "Comrade, it's over!"

   Russia fired at least 800 drones in a massive daytime barrage Wednesday 
targeting about 20 regions of Ukraine including Transcarpathia, Ukrainian 
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. At least six people were killed and wounded 
dozens, including children. Lasting hours, it was one of the longest-lasting 
attacks by Moscow in the war now in its fifth year.

   Zelenskyy called the summons in Budapest an "important message" and thanked 
Magyar for his comments.

   "Moscow has once again shown itself to be a common threat not only to 
Ukraine, but also to neighbouring countries and Europe as a whole," Zelenskyy 
said on social media.

   After defeating Orbn in a historic vote in April, Magyar has vowed to undo 
much of the legacy built during Orbn's 16 years in power, with a particular 
focus on alleged corruption.

   The summons marks a stunning change after years of close relations between 
Hungary -- both a member of the European Union and NATO -- and Moscow, even 
following the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

   In March, Stanislavov, the ambassador, posted on Facebook an open letter to 
Magyar denying Moscow was involved in helping longtime Kremlin ally Orbn.

   "It's really not worth scaring Hungarians with imaginary Russian threats," 
he wrote. "The embassy has clear objectives: to ensure the maintenance of 
normal bilateral relations, to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in the 
current situation where possible, and to protect the interests of citizens of 
Russia and Hungary."

   Magyar announced on Thursday that he was ending two crisis governing 
structures in Hungary, which were set up in response to the war in Ukraine and 
the COVID pandemic.

   Orbn had declared a " state of danger " in 2022 in the wake of Russia's 
full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and his Fidesz party granted him extraordinary 
executive power during the COVID pandemic in 2020. Both enhanced his powers and 
led to widespread criticism over democratic backsliding. "We are returning to 
normality," Magyar said in a social media post. "As of today, after four years, 
the wartime state of emergency in Hungary is ending, and with it we are also 
putting an end to the decree-based emergency rule introduced by the Orbn 
government six years ago."