Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk highlighted a leaked recording of Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó offering to transmit EU documents to Russia via the Hungarian embassy in Moscow.
Szijjártó’s Offer to Lavrov
The Polish Prime Minister referenced a recording from an investigative journalist’s published conversation between Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Szijjártó offered to pass EU documents through the Hungarian embassy in Moscow.
The intercepted recording is the second part of an investigation by VSquare, FRONTSTORY, Delfi Estonia, The Insider, and the Jan Kuciak Investigative Centre (ICJK). In late March, the investigation previously revealed a recording of Szijjártó’s conversation with Lavrov and Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin.
Details of Previous Discussions
During the earlier conversation, details were coordinated regarding the desire to remove specific Russian citizens from the EU sanctions list. They also discussed ways to oppose sanctions imposed on Russia. Szijjártó assured them he was “always at your disposal.”
Hungary as a “Fifth Column”
VSquare reported that “Hungary has offered itself to Russia at every turn as a kind of fifth column in Brussels: Szijjártó was always eager to cooperate with Lavrov and seek his advice (or approval) on actions detrimental to the EU and Ukraine, but very beneficial to Moscow.”
Timing with Hungarian Elections
The journalists revealed another conversation between Hungarian and Russian officials just days before the April 12 parliamentary elections in Hungary.
Lavrov’s Inquiry About Ukraine Negotiations
“I wanted to call and ask about the compromise you reached with the European Union regarding the opening of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession. There have also been reports that the language of national minorities played a decisive role,” Lavrov said in the conversation, adding that Russia was attempting to obtain documents related to the matter.
Szijjártó’s Ready Response
“I’ll send it to you. That’s not a problem,” Szijjártó responded without hesitation, adding, “I’m doing it right away. I’m sending it to the embassy in Moscow. My ambassador will hand it over to your chief of staff, and then it’s at your disposal.”
Document’s Likely Content and Russian Motives
The conversation does not specify which document or documents were discussed. The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not comment to the journalists. A high-ranking EU official, quoted by VSquare, stated with “99 percent certainty” that the document Szijjártó promised to send was the negotiating framework, which was already publicly available.
The official added they did not know why “Lavrov even played along with him.” A possible reason, according to the official, was a desire to test Hungary’s boundaries, “almost like a loyalty test, to assess whether the agent is ready to carry out orders or tasks. It’s like the basics of recruitment.”
Earlier Conversation Between Orbán and Putin
Previously, Bloomberg obtained a recording of a telephone conversation between Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin in October of last year. During the call, Viktor Orbán told Vladimir Putin he was ready to do anything to help the Russian leader.