Hungary & Russia: Leaked Call Reveals Attempt to Influence Slovakia Election
Budapest – A leaked transcript of a 2020 phone conversation reveals that Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó directly requested assistance from his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to secure a victory for the social-democratic party in upcoming Slovak elections. The conversation, which took place in February 2020, underscores Budapest’s interest in the political outcome of its northern neighbor and raises questions about the extent of Hungarian diplomatic efforts to influence the election.
According to the transcript, published by Hungarian opposition journalist Szabolcs Panyi, Szijjártó explicitly sought a meeting between then-Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in the lead-up to the February 29th vote. “As you know, Notice elections coming up in Slovakia on 29 February and This proves of key importance to us that the coalition there would continue,” Szijjártó told Lavrov. He further stated, “I understand it may sound strange coming from Hungarian conservatives, but we are hoping for social democrats since they are the only rational force in the Slovak political landscape and the only ones who are acting without foreign interference.”
Szijjártó reportedly argued that a victory for the opposition would be “a tragedy for Central European cooperation.” He also emphasized the importance of the Slovak National Party, led by speaker of parliament Andrej Danko, surpassing the 5% threshold required for parliamentary representation. Pellegrini did travel to Moscow on February 26th, meeting with Mishustin just days before the election, but the visit failed to prevent Igor Matovič’s OĽaNO movement from ultimately unseating the then-governing coalition.
Lavrov responded to Szijjártó’s request by stating he would pass it on to the Russian prime minister. “Here’s a big request, but I will pass it on to the prime minister,” Lavrov said. Szijjártó reiterated the importance of the outcome, stating, “Let me emphasise once more how important it is for us that the coalition [in Slovakia] can continue. If they cannot continue, there is no chance of pragmatic cooperation in Central Europe, and we would lose a great deal.”
The leak comes after a report in the Washington Post revealed Szijjártó had been regularly informing Lavrov about negotiations within European Union institutions. Panyi’s publication of the full transcript follows a recent incident where a pro-government Hungarian outlet, Mandiner, published an audio recording allegedly featuring Panyi discussing his sources and methods. Mandiner characterized the recording as evidence of an “intelligence operation” targeting Szijjártó.
The recording reportedly features Panyi discussing coordination with the security service of an unnamed European Union country regarding Szijjártó’s phone number, and his relationship with Anita Orbán, a foreign policy expert with the Tisza Party. Panyi explained to 24.hu that he had presented himself as close to Orbán in an attempt to uncover Szijjártó’s ties to Russia, acknowledging it was a mistake. He displayed the transcript of the Szijjártó-Lavrov conversation to his source using an iPod he had used during previous surveillance concerns.
Responding to a query from the Slovak-Hungarian outlet Napunk regarding Pellegrini’s request for assistance with the 2020 Moscow trip, the Slovak president’s office stated that Pellegrini, as prime minister at the time, participated in a “standard meeting” with the Russian prime minister concerning Slovakia’s energy security. The office declined to comment on the Hungarian election campaign or related activities.