Russia said on Monday that some political forces in the EU are opposing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's attempts to win another term and are trying to help his opponents, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
“Many forces in Europe, many forces in Brussels do not want Orban to win the elections again“, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to a reporter's question about the leak of a transcript of a conversation between Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin last year.
“This is well known, it is obvious to the naked eye and, of course, they are helping those forces that are in political opposition to Orban and believe that publishing such materials could harm him“, Peskov said.
He did not provide evidence that EU officials were in any way connected to the leak, Reuters noted.
The Kremlin's comments came a day after US President J.D. Vance arrived in Budapest and accused the EU of interfering “in a disgraceful manner“ in the elections scheduled for April 12. According to a number of opinion polls, the vote could end Orban's 16-year rule.
US President Donald Trump has also backed Orban. The Hungarian prime minister also maintains good relations with Putin despite the war in Ukraine and EU efforts to isolate and weaken Russia through economic sanctions.
Hungary is heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas. Orban blocked an EU loan to Ukraine, citing a dispute with Kiev over damaged pipeline.
In the transcript published by “Bloomberg“, Orban says he is at Putin's disposal and cites a Hungarian fairy tale in which a mouse helps a lion.
Peskov did not deny that the information was reliable, but said it presented Orban in a pragmatic light. “He is indeed a very effective politician… who specifically defends the interests of his own country,“ the Kremlin spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow had summoned the Japanese ambassador to protest a Japanese company's investment in Ukrainian drone technology.
Japanese company “Terra Drone“ announced last month that it had invested in Ukrainian interceptor drone maker “Amazing Drones“.
According to the Kremlin, Russia's relations with Japan have been “reduced to zero“ due to Tokyo's “hostile position“ towards Moscow.