EU restricts sensitive info to Hungary amid alleged leaks to Russia

The European Union is restricting the flow of sensitive information to Hungary as leaders increasingly meet in smaller, breakout groups, amid concerns that Budapest may be sharing details of EU discussions with Moscow, multiple EU diplomats and officials said, POLITICO reports.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a vocal supporter of Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar, warned on X that “the news that Orbán’s people inform Moscow about EU Council meetings in every detail shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. We’ve had our suspicions about that for a long time. That’s one reason why I take the floor only when strictly necessary and say just as much as necessary.”

A report over the weekend alleged that Hungarian officials, including Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, maintained close contact with Sergey Lavrov during the war in Ukraine, providing updates in the margins of meetings with other EU members.

Worries over potential leaks reportedly contributed to the rise of smaller, like-minded EU leader groupings — including E3, Weimar, and NB8 — rather than full 27-member meetings. Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who attended meetings with Szijjártó, said officials had long limited the information shared with Hungary, even during critical summits such as NATO’s 2023 Vilnius meeting.

Hungarian officials have rejected the allegations. Europe Minister János Bóka called the reports “fake news” designed to undermine Fidesz during the election campaign, while Szijjártó denounced the coverage as “conspiracy theories that are more preposterous than anything seen before.”

Diplomats said any formal EU response will likely depend on the outcome of Hungary’s April 12 election. “It undermines trust, cooperation, and the integrity of the European Union,” said one official. “If he stays after [the] election, I think the EU needs to find ways to deal with this in another manner.”

Opposition leader Péter Magyar labeled the alleged leaks “outright treason,” saying at a campaign rally that Szijjártó “has not only betrayed his own country, but Europe as well.”

The dispute has broader consequences for EU policy, with Hungary recently blocking €90 billion in loans for Ukraine, an action diplomats say underscores Budapest’s alignment with Vladimir Putin within the EU.

By Vafa Guliyeva