Leaked Transcripts Reveal Hungary Coordinated With Russia to Soften EU Sanctions

An investigation published March 31, 2026, by the consortium VSquare and The Insider revealed leaked transcripts of phone calls between Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and senior Russian officials, showing Szijjártó coordinating with Moscow to soften EU sanctions against Russia while European ministers were simultaneously deliberating new economic measures against Moscow. The investigation published transcripts of calls between Szijjártó and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as well as with Russia's Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin. Among the most concrete findings, a conversation from August 2024 captured Lavrov calling Szijjártó at the request of billionaire Alisher Usmanov, asking him to help remove Usmanov's sister, Gulbahor Ismailova, from the EU sanctions list. Szijjártó agreed, telling Lavrov that Hungary and Slovakia would submit a motion the following week. Ismailova was removed from the EU sanctions list seven months after that recorded exchange. The investigation also documented Szijjártó discussing the removal of Russian banks from sanctions lists with Sorokin, with Szijjártó asking Sorokin to supply arguments Hungary could use to justify the requests internally.

Szijjártó claimed he already knew his calls were tapped Szijjártó responded to the publication with defiance, posting on social media that he had long been aware that foreign intelligence services were monitoring his phone calls. He dismissed the investigation's findings as unremarkable, framing the leaked content as confirmation of his consistency rather than evidence of wrongdoing. „Good job! They proved that I say the same thing both publicly and on the phone.” — Péter Szijjártó via Adevarul He reiterated Hungary's standing position that EU sanctions policy has been a failure, arguing the measures cause more harm to the European Union than to Russia. Szijjártó also stated that Hungary would never agree to sanction individuals or companies essential to its energy security or to achieving peace. Hungary's international spokesperson Zoltán Kovács told Politico that the minister's contacts with Lavrov constituted regular diplomatic practice and that no sensitive information was exchanged. Kovács described Szijjártó as attempting to serve as an „intermediary between Europe and Russia” — Zoltán Kovács via Digi24 and called allegations of confidential information sharing "simply groundless." The transcripts also captured Szijjártó referring to then-EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell as the "European Biden" and speaking approvingly of the new Gazprom headquarters in Saint Petersburg, before assuring Lavrov he was "always at his disposal."

European leaders condemn Hungary's back-channel dealings with Moscow Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin both condemned the disclosures in strong terms, with the two leaders describing the revelations as "repulsive" and "sinister" respectively. Tusk stated he was not surprised by the findings and added that he exercises caution in how he communicates when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is present, intervening "only when strictly necessary." The European Commission said the revelations were "extremely worrying" and formally requested clarifications from Budapest. On March 24, ahead of the investigation's publication, Szijjártó had already publicly acknowledged that he regularly consults with Russia, Israel, Serbia, Turkey, and other non-EU partners before and after EU foreign ministers' meetings, characterizing the practice as routine diplomacy. In recent months, the EU had already moved to limit Hungary's access to sensitive information, and European leaders had begun organizing discussions in restricted formats to reduce Budapest's exposure to confidential deliberations. The investigation's findings added fresh pressure on Hungary at a moment when the bloc's unity on Russia policy remains a central concern.

Péter Szijjártó has served as Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade since 2014, making him one of the longest-serving foreign ministers in the European Union. Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has repeatedly blocked or delayed EU measures targeting Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, citing energy dependency and opposition to what Budapest describes as a failed sanctions strategy. Josep Borrell served as the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy from 2019 until 2024, a period during which tensions between Brussels and Budapest over Russia policy were a recurring source of friction within the bloc.

Leaked numbers reveal scale of Hungary's sanctions removal efforts The transcripts published by VSquare and The Insider offered a rare numerical window into the scope of Hungary's efforts to pare back the EU sanctions regime. In a conversation with Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin, Szijjártó described the progress his government had already made and the obstacles that remained. „We have already removed 72 but there were 128. I am trying to continue, but I have to explain to them why it is in Hungary's interest.” — Péter Szijjártó via RFI The figure illustrates the sustained and systematic nature of the effort described in the leaked calls, going well beyond the single case of Gulbahor Ismailova. 72 (entities removed) — Russian individuals or organizations removed from EU sanctions list, per Szijjártó's own account The ghost fleet of oil tankers, which Russia uses to evade international restrictions on its energy exports, was also a subject of the discussions, with Hungary reportedly opposing additional EU measures targeting those vessels. The investigation by VSquare and The Insider did not allege that Szijjártó transmitted classified EU deliberations to Moscow, but the documented coordination between a sitting EU foreign minister and Russian officials over the content of sanctions lists drew immediate calls for accountability from across the bloc.