Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed at a campaign rally in Keszthely that he regularly contacts Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the margins of closed EU Council meetings on foreign affairs, Euronews reports.
Szijjártó said EU decisions on energy, the automotive industry, and security directly affect Hungary's relations with partners outside the bloc — and those partners need to be consulted.
"Yes, these issues need to be discussed with our partners outside the EU," he said. "I speak not only with the Russian foreign minister, but also with our American, Turkish, Israeli, Serbian, and other partners before and after EU Council meetings."
He rejected the framing that this constitutes a breach of protocol. "My words may sound blunt, but diplomacy means talking to the leaders of other countries," he added.
"No secrets at the ministerial level"
On Tuesday morning, Szijjártó posted a video on social media dismissing accusations that he had violated security protocols during EU foreign affairs ministerial sessions.
He stated that classified material is not discussed at that level. "All ministers, except me, bring their phones into the room," he said. "The assumption that any security protocols exist belongs in the category of nonsense."
Background: the Washington Post report and EU exclusion
The rally remarks followed a Washington Post report stating that Szijjártó had regularly provided Lavrov with what the paper described as live accounts of what was being discussed at EU sessions, including information about potential decisions.
Separately, reports have emerged that the EU has begun excluding Hungary from sensitive negotiations over concerns about information reaching Moscow.
Opposition pledges investigation
Hungary's opposition party Tisza has said that if it wins the upcoming elections, it will immediately open an investigation into Szijjártó's ties with Russia.
