Ukraine condemns Hungarian FM’s 'disgusting' reporting to Lavrov

"You know, today I took the time, despite everything happening, to listen to these conversations that have become public in the media space. For me, this is not a conversation. This is obsequious reporting to Russian patrons. It is disgusting, it is a disgrace. And it should indeed be the subject of an investigation," the Ukrainian minister stressed.

He noted that the profession of a diplomat requires caution in conversations, so, understanding the situation, Ukrainians "were even more diplomatic than usual" with the Hungarians.

"What has now become public poses a threat. In fact, it threatens the discussion platforms that exist within the European Union, including closed ones," Sybiha said.

The Foreign Minister added that Ukraine is often invited to provide briefings on the real situation, and therefore, he said, there must be an appropriate response to this incident.

What preceded this

On Tuesday, March 31, audio recordings of phone conversations between Szijjártó and Lavrov regarding the lifting of sanctions on influential Russians were leaked online.

In particular, Lavrov asked the Hungarian minister to help remove Gulbahor Ismailova, the sister of oligarch Alisher Usmanov, from sanctions lists. Szijjártó promised to help, and seven months later, Ismailova was indeed removed from the list.

Earlier, The Washington Post reported that Szijjártó had regularly kept in touch with Lavrov during breaks in meetings in Brussels.

Due to such close communication, Russia was effectively present at the negotiating table at every European Union meeting for many years.

Later, Szijjártó acknowledged that he regularly contacts Lavrov during closed EU Council meetings, although he claimed that no secrets are discussed at the ministerial level.