Hungary: More Business, Less Illiberalism

Hungary has the typical national contours that feature in relations between Central and East European (CEE) EU Member States and Russia. Troublesome historical legacies, relatively minor and narrowing economic relations (except for energy) and sharp party divisions regarding the Russian nexus are generally shared features in CEE. What stands out within this setting are the inherently domestic policy patterns of bilateral relations, especially as far as interrelations between Viktor Orbán’s illiberal leanings along with Euroscepticism and Moscow’s foreign policy agenda are concerned. Viktor Orbán’s and Vladimir Putin’s mindsets partially overlap, creating some ideological foundations for an opportunistic relationship.