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Ursula von der Leyen plans to raise the issue of Hungary’s alleged practice of leaking information to Russia at the highest level of Europe’s leadership, her spokesperson announced in the wake of new revelations.
The direct involvement of the president of the European Commission lays bare the widespread outrage and unease triggered by Budapest’s exceptionally close ties with Moscow, which are increasingly seen as a security threat from within.
The allegations “highlight the alarming possibility of a member state’s government coordinating with Russia, thus actively working against the security and the interests of the EU and its citizens,” the spokesperson said on Thursday afternoon.
“This is, therefore, extremely concerning, and it’s for the member state’s government in question to explain itself as a matter of urgency.”
It was not immediately clear when von der Leyen would raise the sensitive issue, given that Hungarians are heading to the polls on 12 April in an election where the incumbent, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, trails in opinion polls by double digits.
Officials in Brussels have been trying to keep a low profile during the electoral period to avoid fuelling Orbán’s anti-EU and anti-Ukraine rhetoric, which has become the defining feature of his bruising campaign.
Initially, the Commission called on Hungary to clarify the reports and respect the principle of sincere cooperation that guides the bloc’s collective decision-making.
But the line hardened this week after a new story by five European media described how Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stepped out of an EU summit to call his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to brief him about a high-stakes debate on whether to open accession talks with Ukraine, which Orbán had fiercely resisted.
A transcript from the phone conversation, recorded on 14 December 2023, shows Lavrov encouraging Szijjártó to veto the decision. “Sometimes, good-willed direct blackmailing is the best option,” Lavrov is said to have told Szijjártó.
A previous story by the five media outlets showed Szijjártó actively discussing with Lavrov the removal of names from the EU sanctions list.
Szijjártó has not denied the content of the revelations. Instead, he has depicted the cascade of reports as an undercover attempt to meddle in the 12 April elections.
The revelations come at a time of high tensions between Orbán and his fellow leaders over his decision to veto a €90 billion loan to Ukraine at the last stage of the process.
Meanwhile, a cross-party group of 10 MEPs sent a letter to Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, requesting limitations on the access that “certain openly pro-Russian” lawmakers have to sensitive information.
“We firmly believe that this situation (of leaks) undermines the work, trust and institutional integrity of the European Parliament, as well as the safety of our Union,” the MEPs wrote in the joint letter, seen by Euronews.
“The time has come to proactively address the prevailing internal weaknesses and security threats.”