In March 2026, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó became the center of a major diplomatic scandal following allegations that he has been sharing confidential European Union (EU) information with Russia for years.

 

The scandal of hungarian foreign minister minister peter syuarto with russian information

In March 2026, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó became the center of a major diplomatic scandal following allegations that he has been sharing confidential European Union (EU) information with Russia for years.

 

The scandal involves two primary channels of information sharing: direct communication and state-sponsored cyberattacks.

 

Allegations of Direct Information Sharing

Reports from The Washington Post and other outlets, citing European security officials, allege that Szijjártó has provided Moscow with "live reports" on sensitive EU discussions.

 

Real-Time Briefings: Szijjártó reportedly made regular phone calls to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during breaks in closed-door meetings of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council to brief him on the discussions.

"Moscow at the Table": Security officials described the situation as effectively giving Russia a "seat at the table" in Brussels for years.

Admission of Contact: After initially dismissing the reports as "fake news," Szijjártó later admitted to routinely calling Lavrov before and after EU meetings, though he denied breaching security protocols.

 

Russian Cyberattacks on the Foreign Ministry

The scandal is compounded by previous investigations into Russian infiltration of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry's IT systems.

Full Access: Investigative outlet Direkt36 reported that Russian intelligence agencies (GRU and FSB) had "practically unlimited access" to the ministry's internal networks for years, including encrypted networks used for classified state secrets.

Known Breach: Internal documents revealed that Szijjártó and other officials were aware of these successful attacks as early as 2021, even while publicly labeling reports of the hacking as "campaign lies" during previous elections.

Scale of Infiltration: The breach reportedly compromised over 4,000 workstations and nearly 1,000 servers within the ministry.

 

Political Impact and EU Reaction

EU Security Concerns: The European Commission has described the reports as "greatly concerning" and has demanded clarification from Budapest. Some reports suggest the EU has begun curbing Hungary's access to sensitive discussions.

Domestic Crisis: The scandal erupted just weeks before Hungary's April 12, 2026, parliamentary elections. Opposition leader Péter Magyar has labeled Szijjártó's actions as "pure treason".

Government Response: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has ordered an investigation, though he framed it as a probe into potential "wiretapping" of his minister by foreign intelligence services rather than an investigation into the leaks themselves.