Hungary's foreign minister denies allegations he shared EU secrets with Russia

ISTANBUL

Hungary’s foreign minister has denied allegations that for years he shared confidential EU information with Russia, calling the reports “fake” and “lies.”

"Fake news as always," Peter Szijjarto wrote Sunday on US social media platform X.

“You are telling lies in order to support Tisza Party to have a pro-(Ukraine) war puppet government in Hungary,” he added, referring to the main opposition party ahead of the country’s April 12 parliamentary elections.

He said the allegations were part of “Ukrainian propaganda” aimed at supporting the opposition and influencing the election outcome.

A story in The Washington Post, cited by multiple European outlets, said that Szijjarto regularly briefed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on closed-door discussions held during EU Council meetings.

The report claimed Szijjarto contacted his Russian counterpart during breaks at summits to relay details and suggest possible courses of action.

Citing an unnamed European security official, the report said that “every single EU meeting for years has basically had Moscow behind the table,” raising concerns over potential breaches of trust within the bloc.

EU calls claims 'greatly concerning'

Poland’s prime minister said the allegations came as no surprise. “We’ve had our suspicions about that for a long time,” said Donald Tusk. “That’s one reason why I take the floor only when strictly necessary and say just as much as necessary.”

Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister, suggested the claims could explain longstanding concerns about information leaks within EU institutions.

The controversy also spilled into Hungary’s domestic political arena. On US social media platform Facebook, opposition leader Peter Magyar called the alleged sharing of confidential information “pure treason,” accusing Szijjarto of betraying both Hungary and Europe.

The EU also called on Hungary to provide clarifications on the allegations, warning that trust among member states is essential for the block to work properly.

EU Commission spokesperson Anita Hipper called the allegations “greatly concerning.”

“For now, we are expecting the clarifications, and this is where we are,” she said, declining to comment on possible next steps.

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

Hungary is set to hold parliamentary elections on April 12, with opinion polls indicating a lead for opposition figure Magyar over Orban’s long-ruling Fidesz party.