Szijjártó admitted that he had called Lavrov during key EU meetings
24 March 15:31
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó acknowledged that he regularly meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during closed-door sessions of the EU Council. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" citing Euronews.
The head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry confirmed the calls to Lavrov, stating that EU decisions on energy, the automotive industry, and security directly affect Hungary’s relations with partners outside the bloc.
“Yes, these issues need to be discussed with our partners outside the EU. I communicate not only with the Russian foreign minister, but also with American, Turkish, Israeli, Serbian, and other colleagues before and after EU Council meetings,” Szijjártó noted.
Previously, the Hungarian government did not acknowledge such calls, calling them fake news
In addition, Szijjártó now refers to his calls with Lavrov from EU meetings as diplomacy:
“What I’m saying may sound harsh, but diplomacy is talking to the leaders of other countries.” He claims that allegedly no secrets are discussed at the ministerial level. “Every minister brings their phone into the room, except me. The assumption that there are any security protocols falls into the category of stupidity,” the minister said.
Background
As a reminder, The Washington Post recently reported that Szijjártó regularly maintained contact with Lavrov during meetings in Brussels, speaking with him during breaks. Due to this close communication, Russia was effectively present at the negotiating table at every EU meeting for many years.
These reports have raised concerns within the European Union, as EU member states are obligated to adhere to the principle of sincere cooperation, and the content of closed-door EU Council meetings is considered confidential. The European Commission has called on Hungary to clarify the matter, describing the reports as “alarming.”
These revelations came amid rising political tensions ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party faces a tough challenge from opposition leader Péter Mádjá’s Tisza party, which currently leads in public opinion polls.
Orbán’s government is one of the few in Europe that maintains regular ties with the Kremlin. Hungary also continues to import large volumes of fossil fuels from Russia, despite EU pressure to reduce its energy dependence on Moscow. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó himself has visited Moscow 16 times since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His most recent trip took place on March 4, when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
