Szijjártó has dismissed the report. Hungary’s Europe Minister János Bóka stated to POLITICO: “This is false information being circulated as a desperate response to [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s] Fidesz gaining ground in the election campaign. The Hungarian people are not easily misled.” Hungarian voters are preparing for a significant election on April 12.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has not provided a comment on the claims. When questioned about von der Leyen’s awareness, Commission’s Deputy Chief Spokesperson Arianna Podestà commented: “The president is in Australia, so it’s unclear if she’s seen the reports yet.” Von der Leyen is in Australia to finalize a long-anticipated trade agreement.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk remarked that the allegations “shouldn’t be surprising to anyone.”
“We’ve had suspicions about this for a long time,” he posted on X on Sunday. “That’s partly why I speak only when absolutely necessary and only say as much as necessary.”
Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who often attended Council meetings with Szijjártó, informed POLITICO he was alerted as early as 2024 about the Hungarian side potentially leaking information to the Kremlin.
Concerns over leaks have led to the establishment of alternative discussion formats that exclude Budapest, according to five European officials and diplomats who spoke to POLITICO.
“This has been understood for some time,” stated a sixth official, who, like the others, was granted anonymity to talk about the sensitive issues.
Nicholas Vinocur, Gabriel Gavin, and Gerardo Fortuna contributed to this story.
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