Hungary Allegedly Leaked Confidential EU Summit Data to Russia's Sergey Lavrov

The Washington Post reported that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly passed confidential information about European Union summit discussions to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in real time, citing testimony from European security officials. According to the report, Szijjártó maintained close telephone contact with Lavrov over a period of years, updating Moscow on the course of negotiations and possible outcomes during breaks in EU meetings. The European Council declined to comment on the allegations, with EU sources saying they were "not commenting for now." Szijjártó himself dismissed the reporting as lies. The revelations landed at a moment of acute tension between Brussels and Budapest, with Hungary blocking both a 90 (billion euros) — loan package for Ukraine blocked by Hungary loan for Ukraine and the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia.

Tusk confirms long-held suspicions, Budapest calls it fake news Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded to the report on the social network X, saying the allegations aligned with suspicions that European leaders had harbored for some time. „The report that Orbán's people inform Moscow about European Council meetings down to the smallest details should surprise no one. We have had suspicions about this for a long time. That is one of the reasons why I speak only when it is absolutely necessary, and say only as much as is needed.” (The report that Orbán's people inform Moscow about European Council meetings down to the smallest details should surprise no one. We have had suspicions about this for a long time. That is one of the reasons why I speak only when it is absolutely necessary, and say only as much as is needed.) — Donald Tusk via Aktuálně.cz Hungarian Minister for European Union Affairs János Bóka rejected the Washington Post story outright, calling it false reporting designed to undercut his party ahead of the April 12 parliamentary elections. Bóka described the article as "a desperate reaction to the fact that Orbán's Fidesz party is gaining strength before the elections," adding that the Hungarian people would not be deceived. The European Commission also declined to comment. Several diplomatic sources told Politico that the EU was unlikely to issue any formal response before the elections, with one source noting that any drastic step before April 12 could hand Orbán a campaign advantage.

EU diplomacy quietly retreats into smaller, trusted formats The Washington Post report confirmed what European diplomats had already been acting on for some time: sensitive security discussions were being moved out of the full 27-member format and into smaller, more trusted groupings. An unnamed senior EU diplomat told Politico that "less loyal" member states were the main reason why most important European diplomacy was now taking place in restricted formats. These include the E3, E4, Weimar Triangle, and NB8 configurations, each designed to allow frank discussion among states with a higher degree of mutual trust. Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told Politico that he received a warning as early as 2024 that the Hungarian side might be passing information to Moscow, after which he and colleagues began limiting what they shared when the Hungarian minister was present. Landsbergis also noted that ahead of the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, envoys had already decided to exclude the Hungarian delegation from sensitive meetings, communicating only formally and later convening separately. One diplomatic source said the EU could respond to the new allegations by withholding even more information from Hungary and tightening information-sharing rules further.

Orbán's veto and alleged Russian "Gamechanger" plot add to the pressure Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has maintained close ties with Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, repeatedly blocking or delaying EU measures aimed at supporting Kyiv. Orbán has argued that the conflict in Ukraine is a matter in which the EU should not intervene. Hungary's obstruction of EU unity on Ukraine has been a recurring source of friction within the bloc, with Budapest vetoing or delaying multiple sanctions packages and financial instruments over the past four years. The Washington Post report also contained a separate and more dramatic allegation: that officers of the Russian intelligence service, the SVR, had discussed a so-called "Gamechanger" strategy that would involve staging an assassination attempt against Orbán to shift the dynamics of the Hungarian electoral campaign. The American newspaper drew a parallel to the alleged assassination attempt against Donald Trump during the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign and its effect on polling. Hungary's blocking of the 90-billion-euro Ukraine loan, agreed by EU leaders in December, has persisted despite intensive efforts by European leaders to persuade Orbán at the most recent European Council. Budapest's simultaneous veto of the 20th sanctions package against Russia has compounded frustration among member states. Web search results indicate that Hungary's centre-right Tisza party currently leads Fidesz in polling ahead of the April 12 vote, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance scheduled to visit Hungary in early April, adding an international dimension to what is already the most competitive Hungarian election in years.