European Security — 2026-04-09
Leaked Audio Shows Hungarian FM Briefing Lavrov on EU Summits, Offering to Share Documents
A multinational investigative consortium published audio recordings of Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto coordinating with Russian FM Sergey Lavrov to stall Ukraine's EU accession between 2023-2025. In one call, Lavrov told Szijjarto that "sometimes good-willed direct blackmailing is the best option" regarding EU negotiations. Szijjarto offered to send Lavrov an internal EU document on minority language conditions in Ukraine's accession talks. The leak comes four days before Hungary's April 12 election, where polling shows Orban's Fidesz trailing Peter Magyar's Tisza Party, potentially ending Orban's 16-year rule.
The timing of this leak, four days before Hungary's April 12 election, is itself an intelligence operation, whether by a state actor or investigative consortium. Szijjarto's offer to share EU internal documents with Lavrov, if authenticated, would constitute a breach of EU collective decision-making protocols serious enough to justify suspension of Hungary's EU voting rights under Article 7.
Sources: Kyiv Independent · Japan Times/Reuters