Hungary's FM rang Moscow directly from EU meetings to brief Lavrov — WP
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó (photo: flickr.com)
Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó kept Moscow regularly informed about EU meetings, reportedly briefing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov directly during breaks in the sessions, according to The Washington Post.
Moscow cooperation details
The Washington Post reports, citing an unnamed European security official, that Szijjártó called Lavrov to quickly relay the content of discussions and potential EU decisions.
Through this close communication, Russia was effectively at the table during EU meetings for many years.
Minister Szijjártó has not yet commented on the reports.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Hungarian foreign minister has made 16 official trips to Moscow.
His most recent visit took place on March 4, 2026, during which Szijjártó met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Hungary-Russia public relations disasters
Recently, several high-profile international scandals have surrounded the Hungarian government.
Media outlets previously reported that Russian intelligence planned to stage an assassination attempt on Viktor Orbán, allegedly to influence the outcome of Hungary's elections.
Earlier, another report said that Hungarian authorities treated detained Ukrainians harshly. According to the media, employees of the Ukrainian state bank Oschadbank were subjected to "truth serum" injections to force confessions. In response, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has demanded an investigation into the use of KGB-style methods against Ukrainian cash-in-transit workers.
