Overview
- The European Commission called reports that Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó shared details of closed EU talks with Moscow “greatly concerning” and said it has asked Hungary for clarifications.
- European diplomats say sensitive discussions are increasingly held in smaller formats without Hungary over leak fears, and they expect no formal EU action before the April 12 election.
- Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ordered an immediate investigation into what he described as evidence of wiretapping of Szijjártó, following a pro‑government outlet’s publication about the minister’s phone numbers.
- Szijjártó rejected the allegations as fake and claimed he was illegally surveilled, while his frequent contacts with Moscow since 2022, including a March 4 meeting with Vladimir Putin, have drawn scrutiny.
- Investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi published a 2020 transcript in which Szijjártó asked Sergei Lavrov to help influence Slovakia’s election, and opposition leader Péter Magyar labeled the alleged backchannel treason requiring a probe.