The European Commission has called for clarity from the Hungarian government after a United States media outlet, The Washington Post, reported that the country’s Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, allegedly passed on information about negotiations with the European Union (EU) to Russia. According to the report, Szijjártó purportedly made regular calls to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, during breaks in EU meetings to provide "direct reports on what was discussed" and possible next steps, raising serious concerns about confidentiality breaches within the bloc.
Szijjártó has rejected the report as "fake news" and "senseless conspiracy theories." However, European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper stated on Monday that a "relationship of trust between member states, and between them and the institution, is fundamental for the work of the EU," adding, "We expect the Hungarian government to provide the clarifications." This demand highlights growing tensions and skepticism towards Budapest's actions within the EU framework.
The allegations emerge at a critical juncture in relations between Budapest and the EU, as many officials in Brussels remain furious that Hungary continued to block a €90 billion ($104bn) loan to Ukraine at an EU leaders’ gathering last week. Germany labeled the allegations against Hungary as "very serious," while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed in a post on X that the Washington Post report "shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone," reflecting widespread distrust among member states towards the Hungarian regime's alignment with Moscow.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, one of the few EU leaders to maintain close ties with Moscow amid Russia’s war on Ukraine, ordered an investigation on Monday into what he called the wiretapping of his foreign minister, without providing further details. Orbán, who has been in power since 2010, is facing his toughest re-election bid on April 12, with the centre-right opposition Tisza Party leading most polls, suggesting potential political repercussions from this scandal.
Source: www.aljazeera.com