Hungary Leaks EU Secrets to Russia, Claims Poland PM Tusk

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday that his government long suspected Hungary of sharing sensitive European Union information with Russia, following a report in The Washington Post detailing alleged regular briefings by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

According to the report, which cited several current and former European security officials, the Hungarian government under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been providing Moscow with access to confidential discussions within the EU for years. Szijjártó reportedly makes phone calls during breaks in EU Council meetings to provide Lavrov with “direct reports on what was discussed” and potential resolutions, the Post reported.

“The news that Orbán’s people inform Moscow about EU Council meetings in every detail shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone,” Tusk posted on X, formerly Twitter. “We’ve had our suspicions about that for a long time. That’s one reason why I take the floor only when strictly necessary and say just as much as necessary.”

Szijjártó dismissed Tusk’s comments as “fake news” in a post on X, accusing the Polish prime minister of spreading falsehoods to support the Tisza Party, a Hungarian opposition party currently leading in polls ahead of parliamentary elections. “You are telling lies in order to support Tisza Party to have a pro-war puppet government in Hungary. You will not have it!” he wrote.

The allegations come at a sensitive time for Hungary, with parliamentary elections scheduled for next month. The Post as well reported that Russia’s foreign intelligence service (SVR) had considered staging an assassination attempt against Orbán to undermine his public support, citing an internal SVR report obtained and authenticated by a European intelligence service.

Relations between Poland and Hungary have been strained in recent years, particularly over Budapest’s blocking of EU aid to Ukraine and its continued ties with Moscow. Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski referenced the Washington Post report on X, writing to Szijjártó, “This would explain a lot, Peter.”

The European Union has not yet issued an official statement regarding the allegations. The accusations raise questions about the integrity of EU Council discussions and the potential for compromised decision-making within the bloc.