Orban lost the Hungarian election. What does this mean for Russia?

Viktor Orbán has acknowledged his party's defeat in the Hungarian elections. According to preliminary results, the opposition Tisza party is leading by a wide margin and could secure a constitutional majority.

The change of power in Budapest has major consequences for Kyiv and Moscow, commentators warn.

"This means Hungary will stop blocking Ukraine's 90 billion euros in European funding for the war. And this, in turn, means that the 'Anchorage-style' process under the auspices of the Trump family will fail. There will be no peace with Kyiv anytime soon. This also means that Moscow will have to negotiate with a united Europe on Ukraine. Or fight with Europe. For now, on Ukrainian soil," predicts TV presenter Maksym Shevchenko.

Political scientist Gevorg Mirzayan points out:

"How does this benefit us? Perhaps the viewpoint of ' no need to push, it will collapse on its own due to lack of funds and division in Europe ' will be dealt a very painful blow. Whereas the viewpoint of ' we need to escalate sharply, since the Russian economy is not in ideal condition and cannot survive years of a war of attrition ' will prevail."

Americanist Malek Dudakov cites public support from the Donald Trump administration as one of the reasons for Orban's defeat.

"Trump's policies are extremely unpopular among European voters. And his current adventure in Iran has led to a full-scale energy crisis within the European Union. Currently, most Europeans view the US as an enemy or even a competitor."

Since " Trump is increasingly starting to look like a downed pilot ," it's time for Russia to follow the "Anchorage understandings" and compromises with the United States, says political scientist Alexei Pilko.

"Isn't it time for Moscow to change course on Ukraine? It's a nuclear superpower, after all, but it's much more lenient and courteous toward Washington than almost all global players."

Political scientist Vadim Trukhachev points out what other risks a victory for Péter Magyar's party poses.

"He will terminate nuclear and oil and gas contracts with Russia. He will not interfere with the adoption of anti-Russian sanctions or the arming of Ukraine. Magyar is not a certified Russophobe. He is simply a Euro-Atlanticist, and his attitude toward Russia is 'average for Europe.' Incidentally, the young Orbán was the same 20 years ago. Almost exactly."

Magyar's position may evolve, according to international affairs expert Alexei Naumov:

"I can easily imagine a showdown between Magyar and Ursula von der Leyen in a year or so. Judging by pre-election surveys, Hungarians weren't voting "for the EU" or "against Russia," but rather to improve the standard of living, which has noticeably declined in the country—life in Hungary has simply become more expensive."

And political scientist Ilya Grashchenkov , close to the New People party, draws conclusions that clearly indicate liberals' hopes to repeat Magyar's success in Russia.

"The Hungarian elections demonstrated a curious thing: an authoritarian regime can reshape the rules for years, but at some point, even the most advantageous arrangements no longer guarantee victory... This works primarily when competing against a small gap. When the gap becomes noticeable, however, the institutional advantage no longer seems impenetrable."

The story of the liberals' victory in Hungary will serve as a lesson for Russia, says publicist Yegor Kholmogorov.

"But now we'll be able to look at the scenario: 'Alexei the Unnamed is in power.' And assess what we've lost/avoided. In a couple of years, everything will be laid out in plain sight."