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The European Commission has called on Hungary to clarify “concerning” reports claiming Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó regularly shared sensitive information from European Union meetings to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that Szijjártó was routinely in contact with Lavrov during EU meetings in Brussels, communicating with him during breaks. The allegations are explosive as EU member states are bound by the principle of sincere cooperation and the content of the meetings is understood to be confidential.
The Hungarian government denied the allegations, calling it fake news.
“The reports regarding the Hungarian foreign minister allegedly disclosing to his Russian counterpart the closed-door ministerial-level discussions in the Council are greatly concerning,” a European Commission spokesperson told journalists Monday.
“A relationship of trust between member states and between them and the institutions is fundamental for the work of the EU. We expect the Hungarian government to provide clarifications.”
The reports emerged as political tensions rise ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party faces a strong challenge from opposition leader Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party, which is leading in opinion polls.
Orbán’s government is one of the few in Europe to maintain regular ties with the Kremlin. Hungary also continues to import large volumes of fossil fuels from Russia, despite EU calls to reduce energy dependency on Moscow.
Szijjártó has visited Moscow 16 times since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The most recent took place on March 4, when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was among the first to condemn the revelations.
“The news that Orbán’s people inform Moscow about EU Council meetings in every detail shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone,” he wrote on social media on Sunday. “We’ve had our suspicions about that for a long time.”
The Commission declined to say whether Hungary is excluded from the distribution of sensitive documents. The Council of the EU, which hosts ministerial meetings, said it is assessing whether Szijjártó breached any rules.
A Council source told Euronews that it shares the Commission’s concerns over the alleged leaks.
Sources at both the Council and the Commission told Euronews the matter reflects a broader breakdown of trust and the need for sincere cooperation with Budapest.
The disclosures come days after Orbán, on Thursday, maintained his veto on the EU’s €90 billion loan package for Ukraine — a decision that drew condemnation from a majority of member states, given that he had already approved the financing measure at the EU’s December summit.
Hungary’s opposition leader Péter Magyar said that if his Tisza Party is elected to power, it will investigate the matter.
“Based on current information, Péter Szijjártó appears to be colluding with Russia, thereby betraying Hungarian and European interests,” Magyar said.
“If confirmed, this would amount to treason, which carries a potential life sentence.”