EU Demands Explanation from Hungary Over Suspected Data Leaks to Russia

The European Union has expressed extreme concern and demanded an explanation from the Hungarian government following media reports alleging that officials close to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán may have been passing sensitive information from EU meetings to Russian authorities.

The allegations, detailed in a report by The Washington Post, suggest that for years, the Orbán government provided Moscow with access to confidential details of discussions among European leaders. According to several current and former European security officials cited by the newspaper, this information flowed both directly from Hungarian officials attending EU meetings and via Russian hackers who penetrated the computer networks of Hungary's foreign ministry.

One source claimed that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó would regularly call his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, during breaks in EU summits to provide "real-time briefings" on the discussions and inform him of potential decisions. This practice allegedly allowed Moscow to be "virtually at the negotiating table" for years.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Szijjártó has made 16 official visits to Moscow, with his latest trip occurring on March 4, 2026, for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

Prime Minister Orbán has rejected the accusations outright. In a related development, he has ordered Hungary's justice ministry to investigate circumstances surrounding the alleged wiretapping of Foreign Minister Szijjártó's phone calls. Orbán labeled any such surveillance as an "unprecedented attack on Hungary," suggesting it was conducted with the knowledge and for the benefit of the opposition party TISZA.

The Washington Post report also contained a startling claim that Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) had internally discussed staging an assassination attempt on Viktor Orbán to boost his popularity ahead of elections and fundamentally alter the campaign landscape. The newspaper cited an internal SVR document obtained and confirmed by a European intelligence service. The Kremlin dismissed this as another example of disinformation, while the SVR declined to comment.

Hungarian parliamentary elections are scheduled for April 12, with TISZA leader Péter Magyar seen as the main rival to Prime Minister Orbán. Magyar and various media outlets have repeatedly accused Russia of actively interfering in the campaign to ensure Orbán remains in power.