Czech president urges review of Hungary ties following alleged intelligence sharing with Russia

ISTANBUL

Czech President Petr Pavel on Tuesday told Czech Television that the country should reassess relations with Hungary and the information it shares with Budapest.

In late March, Hungary’s foreign minister Peter Szijjarto denied allegations that he had shared confidential EU information with Russia, calling the reports “fake news” and “lies” and describing them as “Ukrainian propaganda” aimed at influencing the April 12 parliamentary elections.

The claims, first reported by The Washington Post and cited by European outlets, suggested that Szijjarto had regularly briefed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on confidential EU discussions.

The report also alleged that Russia’s foreign intelligence service (SVR) had proposed staging a false flag attempt to assassinate Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban to boost his chances in next month’s vote, citing an internal intelligence document reviewed by a European intelligence service.

European authorities called on Hungary to provide clarifications, warning that trust among member states is essential for the bloc’s proper functioning.