Overview
- Brussels, which on Thursday demanded a prompt explanation from Budapest, called the reports of leaks to Moscow extremely concerning, and France’s foreign minister labeled the episode a betrayal of EU solidarity.
- Investigations by The Insider, VSquare and Delfi include audio of a July 2024 call where Hungary’s foreign minister reportedly offered to pass a document on Ukraine’s EU entry talks to Sergey Lavrov.
- Hungarian officials deny wrongdoing and claim foreign services intercepted and publicized the minister’s calls to sway the April 12 vote, casting the story as outside interference.
- An NGO, Alliance4Europe, reported a coordinated network of fake X accounts boosting pro‑Orban and pro‑Russian posts, describing recycled botlike profiles that were used in other European elections.
- U.S. involvement featured high‑profile backing for Viktor Orban and a pledge by President Donald Trump to help Hungary’s economy if he wins, while the U.S. ambassador to the EU said those actions did not amount to election interference.