
The European Commission described as extremely worrying media reports that Hungary has provided sensitive information to Russia.
A relationship of trust between member states and between them and the institution is essential for the work of the EU, and we expect the Hungarian government to provide clarification, said Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper, after the Washington Post published an article according to which Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto had provided Russia with information about European Union negotiations.
The American media, citing several current and former European security officials, highlighted that Szijjarto had regularly spoken by phone with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during breaks between meetings of European ministers and had provided Lavrov with information about what was being discussed at those meetings, as well as suggestions on how to proceed.
The Washington Post article was rejected by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who described the wiretapping of a member of his government as an attack on Hungary, although the article did not say that Szijjarto had been wiretapped. The latter, meanwhile, expressed on the social network Facebook that the accusations against him were nonsense conspiracy theories and accused foreign agencies of engaging in surveillance with the cooperation of a Hungarian journalist, whose name he did not mention.
Szijjarto also accused Ukraine of involvement. The American newspaper's article claims that Russian services may have considered influencing Hungary's parliamentary elections on April 12, where polls have put Orban, who supports both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a weak position ahead of the vote.