March 23 (UPI) — Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó admitted that he regularly talks to Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov during private European Union meetings, claiming it’s diplomacy.
“I speak not only with the Russian foreign minister, but also with the United States, the Turkish, the Israeli, the Serbian ones, and our other partners before and after the meetings of the Council of the European Union,” Szijjártó said at a campaign rally Monday.
“The situation is that many decisions are being made in the European Union that influence the relations and cooperation of Hungary with other countries outside the EU,” he said. “That’s what foreign policy is about. Perhaps I’m saying something rough, but diplomacy is about us talking to leaders of other countries.”
The revelation follows a Washington Post report that said Budapest has kept close to the Kremlin throughout the war with Ukraine. It alleged that Szijjártó updated Lavrov during breaks in EU meetings.
Those meetings are confidential, and EU member states are obligated by the principle of sincere cooperation.
The EU’s foreign affairs spokesperson Anitta Hipper said Monday that the reports are “greatly concerning” and that trust between member countries is fundamental.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X Sunday: “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.”
Szijjártó responded by accusing Tusk of “spreading lies and fake news.”
Hungary’s Europe Minister János Bóka told Politico: “It is fake news that is now being spread as a desperate reaction to [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s] Fidesz gaining momentum in the election campaign.”
Fidesz is Orbán’s conservative political party, which is facing off with Péter Magyar’s center-right Tisza Party. Tisza is ahead in the polls. The election is scheduled for April 12.
Szijjártó said Tuesday morning that he never breached security protocols at Foreign Affairs Council meetings. He added that no secrets are discussed at that level, Euro News reported.
“Every minister brings their phone into the room except me. The suggestion that there are any security protocols falls into the category of stupidity,” he said.
